Cassandra

noun

Cas·​san·​dra kə-ˈsan-drə  -ˈsän- 

1

: a daughter of Priam endowed with the gift of prophecy but fated never to be believed

2

: one that predicts misfortune or disaster

Did you know?

The story of Cassandra comes from Greek mythology and is both tragic and ironic, as such myths tend to be. Cassandra was the daughter of Priam, the king of Troy. She caught the eye of the god Apollo, who was accustomed to getting what he wanted. He was amazed and displeased when she refused his romantic advances, and he became vengeful. He cursed Cassandra with a gift of prophecy with an especially cruel twist: he guaranteed that while she would always be right, no one would ever believe her predictions. Cassandra foretold the fall of Troy and other disastrous happenings, though she was ignored. Now, the label Cassandra is typically reserved for those who claim to see impending doom.

Synonyms

• Chicken Little
• doomsayer
• doomsdayer
• doomster

Example Sentences

more than one Cassandra on Wall Street had warned that the market was overdue for a major correction

Word History

Etymology

Latin, from Greek Kassandra

First Known Use

1542, in the meaning defined at sense 1

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