divine

adjective

di·vine | \ də-ˈvīn

diviner; divinest

Definition of divine

(Entry 1 of 3)

1 religion

a : of, relating to, or proceeding directly from God (see god entry 1 sense 1) or a god (see god entry 1 sense 2) divine inspiration divine love praying for divine intervention

b : being a deity the divine Savior a divine ruler

c : directed to a deity divine worship

2a : supremely good : superb The meal was just divine.

b : heavenly, godlike

divine

noun

Definition of divine (Entry 2 of 3)

religion

1 : clergyman a Puritan divine

2 : theologian

divine

verb

divined; divining

Definition of divine (Entry 3 of 3)

transitive verb

1 : to discover by intuition or insight : infer divine the truth

2 : to discover or locate (something, such as underground water or minerals) usually by means of a divining rod

intransitive verb

1 : to seek to predict future events or discover hidden knowledge usually by the interpretation of omens or by the aid of supernatural powers : to practice divination : prophesy

2 : to perceive intuitively

Other Words from divine Synonyms & Antonyms Choose the Right Synonym More Example Sentences Learn More about divine

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Choose the Right Synonym for divine

Verb

foresee, foreknow, divine, anticipate mean to know beforehand. foresee implies nothing about how the knowledge is derived and may apply to ordinary reasoning and experience. economists should have foreseen the recession foreknow usually implies supernatural assistance, as through revelation. if only we could foreknow our own destinies divine adds to foresee the suggestion of exceptional wisdom or discernment. was able to divine Europe's rapid recovery from the war anticipate implies taking action about or responding emotionally to something before it happens. the waiter anticipated our every need

Examples of divine in a Sentence

Adjective

They prayed for divine intervention. how about a piece of the most divine apple pie I've ever tasted!

Noun

the great influence exerted by the Puritan divines in the Massachusetts Bay Colony

Verb

divine the answer to a question it was easy to divine his intention of asking his girlfriend to marry him

Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective

As Witch Baby explains, frogs are associated with the divine feminine, the moon, mothers, and witches. — Sophie Saint Thomas, Allure, "11 Halloween Beauty Launches for Spooky Makeup and Skin-Care Products," 9 Oct. 2018 Smith said her dad received his divine inspiration more from the race track than the pulpit. — Sam Dangremond, Town & Country, "Legendary Gossip Columnist Liz Smith Dies at 94," 13 Nov. 2017 Earlier this month, Stephen Colbert also staged some divine intervention to try and convince Winfrey to run in 2020. — Maria Pasquini, PEOPLE.com, "Jesus Christ Sends Letter to Oprah Winfrey — Now Will She Consider Running for President?," 16 Mar. 2018 Metals and mortals could both be made more pure by freeing that little bit of divine spirit hidden in nature. — Meg Neal, Popular Mechanics, "The Eternal Quest for Aether, the Cosmic Stuff That Never Was," 19 Oct. 2018 The vine looks divine strangling a curtain rod, draped over a doorway, or trained to climb a wall. — Michelle Slatalla, WSJ, "Plant Swaps: The Cheap Way to Score Rare Houseplants," 7 June 2018 The publication also reports that the wedding cake was absolutely divine and had not one but four (!) flavors. — Jennifer Aldrich, Country Living, "Everything You Should Know About Property Brother Drew Scott and Linda Phan's Wedding," 5 June 2018 Religious leaders on both sides of the conflict demonized one another and conferred divine legitimacy on their war aims. — Joseph Loconte, WSJ, "What World War I Taught the Clergy," 8 Nov. 2018 This bright, divine Aether was the classical philosophers’ version of our upper atmosphere. — Meg Neal, Popular Mechanics, "The Eternal Quest for Aether, the Cosmic Stuff That Never Was," 19 Oct. 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

He’s portrayed as an outsider artist, a man sinking into depression and mania while also becoming more and more prolific — and more and more convinced that painting is his divine calling. — Alissa Wilkinson, Vox, "How Willem Dafoe learned to paint like Vincent Van Gogh," 14 Nov. 2018 As the designer odyssey moves from New York to Paris, patterns are palpable—another baby bang here, another sprinkling of glitter there—until finally, everything materializes into one divine, season-defining tessellation. — Vogue, "The Best Street Style Beauty Looks From the Spring 2019 Shows," 4 Oct. 2018 But a deeper look brings out the true genius of the work: the relationship between art and architecture, the way science can bring man closer to God, and an outline of the quintessence of the divine. — Robert E. Gordon, WSJ, "A Multi-Layered Drama," 13 July 2018 The show is divided into two themes, one mortal and the other divine. — Christopher Knight, latimes.com, "In Iranian art show at LACMA, the past wrestles with the present," 4 June 2018 Even a daydreamy young girl had a hard time locating the divine over the glare of blacktop and the whine of power tools. — Sara Eckel, Longreads, "The Hole in My Soul," 1 June 2018 But after a horrific tragedy, many look to the divine. — Saeed Ahmed, CNN, "As victims' families prepare to arrive at a Santa Fe church to mourn, a rainbow appears overhead," 20 May 2018 The nods the film got include in the categories of Best Movie, Best Director, Best Actress for the divine Sally Hawkins, and Supporting Actor and Actress for the magnificent Richard Jenkins and Octavia Spencer. — Laura Demarco, cleveland.com, "Academy Awards 2018: "The Shape of Water" would be a worthy Best Picture," 3 Mar. 2018 The crystal versions were less mystical yet still intriguing and a good example of where the decorative meets the divine. — Melissa Magsaysay, latimes.com, "At the Met Gala, stars show off their saintly side with classic looks. Here are 6 major beauty trends," 8 May 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

The ritual and repetition of the services abolished time entirely, linking the time within that chamber to divine time, which was eternal, unaffected by life or death, which was always there, which lasted forever. — Karl Ove Knausgaard, New York Times, "A Literary Road Trip Into the Heart of Russia," 14 Feb. 2018 How are retailers supposed to divine a buyer’s purpose? — The Editorial Board, WSJ, "The Interstate Tax Grab," 15 Apr. 2018 Read his piece at The New York Times and divine the truth for yourself. — Krista Stevens, Longreads, "You Don’t Move to Sarasota, the Spirit Moves You," 10 July 2018 So long as Pecker can divine what Trump would want or find helpful, the Enquirer could effectively carry out the president's wishes. — Callum Borchers, Washington Post, "The National Enquirer’s weak denial of Trump’s influence," 2 May 2018 Their own attitude, as far as it can be divined, appears to be a credulous sentimentality. — Mike Hale, New York Times, "Review: On Netflix, a Wild Story of Guns, Sex and a Guru," 16 Mar. 2018 But the contests never actually occur, because the musketeers divine in d’Artagnan a man who is willing to risk his life and can assist them in their sallies against Cardinal Richelieu’s belligerent guards. — Tobias Grey, WSJ, "Alexandre Dumas’s Brotherly Love," 16 Mar. 2018 What remains is to divine the motivations of the plaintiffs in this case, and thereby those of the Trump White House. — Michael Hiltzik, latimes.com, "Trump's DOJ labels the Affordable Care Act unconstitutional, placing healthcare for 133 million at risk," 8 June 2018 Is Musk divining his reasoning from movies about journalism? — Theodore Schleifer, Recode, "Here are the three most head-scratching tweets from Elon Musk this holiday weekend," 27 May 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'divine.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.