soothsaying

noun

sooth·​say·​ing ˈsüth-ˌsā-iŋ How to pronounce soothsaying (audio)
1
: the act of foretelling events
2
soothsay intransitive verb

Examples of soothsaying in a Sentence

took the soothsayings published in the tabloids with a grain of salt
Recent Examples on the Web But it was powered by profound public discontent with Argentina’s sclerotic status quo, especially from a generation of younger voters who have seen little relief from years of endemic fiscal crisis and debt, and have no more patience for the appeals and soothsaying of the establishment. Ishaan Tharoor, Washington Post, 21 Nov. 2023 For now, earthquakes remains the trickiest natural disaster to predict, but our earthquake soothsaying is improving, as geologists uncover the subtle secrets of the world-shaking movements along Earth’s many fault lines. Darren Orf, Popular Mechanics, 20 July 2023 During the panel, Travers asked O’Dowd about Dusty’s reaction to the soothsaying device. H. Drew Blackburn, Variety, 23 Mar. 2023 And this soothsaying is anything but soothing. Jacob Oller, chicagotribune.com, 25 Sep. 2020 By the 17th century, English almanacs in particular were predicting plagues, earthquakes and other calamities with such profligacy that an industry of satirical almanacs sprang up to mock the earnest soothsaying of the others. Jack Feerick, Discover Magazine, 4 Dec. 2020 Now, with the latest episode out, those fans can rest easy — taking on the role of a soothsaying sorceress to deliver a hilarious commencement speech, Raja finally won her first star. Stephen Daw, Billboard, 13 June 2022 Few of the pundits who trumpet the long-term wisdom of Medicare for all or the negligible impact of deficit spending have the credentials for such soothsaying. Frank Bruni New York Times, Star Tribune, 17 June 2021 But, much like the appearance of a soothsaying gypsy in a Victorian novel, the mysterious Elena, with her provocative air and accented English, portends the switch from light satire to melodrama. Naomi Fry, The New Yorker, 9 Nov. 2020

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'soothsaying.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of soothsaying was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near soothsaying

Cite this Entry

“Soothsaying.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/soothsaying. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

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