clairvoyance

noun

clair·​voy·​ance kler-ˈvȯi-ən(t)s 

1

: the power or faculty of discerning objects not present to the senses

2

: ability to perceive matters beyond the range of ordinary perception : penetration

The fortune teller practices clairvoyance when she gazes into a crystal ball to see her client's future.

Synonyms

• sixth sense
• telepathy
• second sight
• foreknowledge
• extrasensory perception

Examples of clairvoyance in a Sentence

I don't believe in clairvoyance, but I can't explain how he knew those things about my grandmother.

people who claim to have clairvoyance are sometimes asked to help locate missing persons

Recent Examples on the Web

Investors expect perpetual outperformance, teams expect infallible guidance, regulators expect clairvoyance, and the media expect quotable eloquence. —Pankaj Vasani, Forbes.com, 22 Aug. 2025

In a year where outcomes are never guaranteed, mastering economic turbulence doesn’t require clairvoyance. —Connie Etemadi, USA Today, 6 Aug. 2025

There is a certain frequency DeLillo captures, or maybe creates, not entirely unlike that of Conrad’s and Didion’s in its clairvoyance and occasional portentousness, that suggests a secret world hovering behind the world of the everyday. —Jon Raymond august 5, Literary Hub, 5 Aug. 2025

With just about 20 days until the presidential election, voters have turned to polls and prediction markets for some clairvoyance on its outcome. —Sydney Lake, Fortune, 18 Oct. 2024

Word History

Etymology

see clairvoyant entry 1

First Known Use

1838, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for clairvoyance

• annoyance

Kids Definition

clairvoyance

noun

clair·​voy·​ance kla(ə)r-ˈvȯi-ən(t)s 

kle(ə)r-

: the power of seeing or knowing about things that are not present to the senses

Etymology

from French clairvoyance "clairvoyance," from clair "clear" (from Latin clarus "clear") and voyant "seeing" (derived from Latin vidēre "to see") — related to clear, vision

Medical Definition

clairvoyance

noun

clair·​voy·​ance kla(ə)r-ˈvȯi-ən(t)s, kle(ə)r- 

: the power or faculty of discerning objects or matters not present to the senses

called also cryptesthesia