divine

di·vine | \ də-ˈvīn

How to pronounce divine (audio)

\

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

Definition of divine (Entry 2 of 3)

1 religion : clergyman a Puritan divine

2 religion : theologian

divine

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 This feeling of divine intervention inspired Julia to find matches for the more than 20 women being served by Ovations for the Cure. — Susanna Schrobsdorff, Time, "Picking Up the Pieces of Us," 10 Jan. 2021 But in Bedford Corners, Ms. Heimann was leaving nothing to divine providence. — New York Times, "Infrared Drones, Search Parties and a Lasso: Chasing a Runaway Llama," 1 Jan. 2021 Although Origin didn’t directly tackle the question of human evolution, its description of nature—in which plants and animals evolve according to natural law, without divine guidance—made some readers uncomfortable. — Dan Falk, Smithsonian Magazine, "Charles Darwin’s Publisher Didn’t Believe in Evolution, but Sold His Revolutionary Book Anyway," 12 Feb. 2020 For Jackie Kecskes, however, divine inspiration came in a most peculiar form: A beat-up, bootleg copy of the Nickelodeon television series Hey Dude. — Sunset Magazine, "Once a ‘Total Valley Girl,’ She’s Now Saving Wild Mustangs on a Montana Ranch," 4 Jan. 2021 In quarantine, many parents saw the quasi-divine power that games hold over their children—even as those games provided surrogate playgrounds, places where friendships could be nourished. — Simon Parkin, The New Yorker, "The Best Video Games of 2020," 18 Dec. 2020 Biden’s hubris and that of the media/Democratic Party fusion almost guarantee such divine retribution. — Victor Davis Hanson, National Review, "Biden Should Beware of Nemesis," 17 Dec. 2020 The people Hoffman meets regard Trump as divine, a hero of mythical proportions. — Federico Finchelstein, The New Republic, "It’s Already Happening Here," 3 Nov. 2020 In holding church, MacArthur is betting on divine protection in a pandemic hotspot. — Daniel Burke, CNN, "California church defies public health orders, holds indoor services for thousands with no social distancing," 12 Aug. 2020 Recent Examples on the Web: Noun First, there’s the sheer number of people who want a harbor and even a taste of the divine in this season of such relentless grief. — Mattie Kahn, Glamour, "On Being Krista Tippett," 23 Dec. 2020 Hasidism valued joy and emotional connection with the divine as much as Torah study. — Larissa Macfarquhar, The New Yorker, "When One Parent Leaves a Hasidic Community, What Happens to the Kids?," 30 Nov. 2020 This emphasis on the scientific method, and his belief that people of all races, genders and religious backgrounds could encounter the divine, helped the swami connect with Americans. — Deborah Netburn, Los Angeles Times, "If you practice yoga, thank this man who came to the U.S. 100 years ago," 19 Nov. 2020 Wiccans often sit under a particular tree or at a particular river to feel one with the divine. — Helen A. Berger, The Conversation, "Halloween isn’t about candy and costumes for modern-day pagans – witches mark Halloween with reflections on death as well as magic," 29 Oct. 2020 In this way, Alberti’s characters orient themselves toward the divine. — Anthony Bukoski, Star Tribune, "Review: 'Some People Let You Down,' by Mike Alberti," 13 Nov. 2020 Jack goes with Adam to identify the spark of the divine, his final test, and Adam reveals that this entire thing is his plan. — Samantha Highfill, EW.com, "Supernatural recap: It's go time," 30 Oct. 2020 At other times, Mr. Trump is treated as something close to divine. — Matthew Rosenberg, New York Times, "Republican Voters Take a Radical Conspiracy Theory Mainstream," 19 Oct. 2020 The Christian Church is set up to facilitate communion between the human and the divine. — Cameron Hilditch, National Review, "Put Not Your Trust in Princes (nor in Republicans)," 4 Sep. 2020 Recent Examples on the Web: Verb Hospitals and doctors preferred arbitration that would allow a supposedly neutral party to divine the proper price of the service. — The Editorial Board, WSJ, "Surprise! A Health Lobby Cage Match," 30 Dec. 2020 For early clues to how COVID-19 might behave, health experts tried to divine the risk of reinfection by looking at other human coronaviruses. — Sarah Elizabeth Richards, Science, "Already had the coronavirus? You could get it again.," 1 Dec. 2020 So now regulators will divine Congress’s unwritten intent amid frantic corporate lobbying for dispensations. — The Editorial Board, WSJ, "Congress Punts on China Stocks," 15 Dec. 2020 Trying to stay informed on Parler is like trying to divine the news by reading your grandparents’ junk mail. — Los Angeles Times, "Column: Parler’s vibe is MAGA-red and unreal. Extremism by design?," 25 Nov. 2020 The motives for the recent actions by inscrutable governments in Riyadh, Cairo and Ankara were hard to divine. — Washington Post, "Crackdowns by U.S. allies could test Biden’s pledge to promote human rights," 27 Nov. 2020 Some Asian Americans try to divine the future by looking to private California colleges, which were not bound by Proposition 209’s ban on affirmative action at public campuses. — Teresa Watanabe, Los Angeles Times, "Affirmative action divides Asian Americans, UC’s largest overrepresented student group," 1 Nov. 2020 Perhaps this is why Glück turns to them, again and again, to divine the texture of our inner life. — Katy Waldman, The New Yorker, "Louise Glück, Whisperer of the Seasons," 15 Oct. 2020 As coronavirus cases mounted over the summer, Loyola University President Tania Tetlow joined higher education officials across the country nervously running worst-case scenarios to divine what the pandemic would mean for their bottom line. — Della Hasselle | Staff Writer, NOLA.com, "'We're relieved it's not a bigger hit': A look at New Orleans college enrollment during coronavirus," 30 Sep. 2020

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.

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Dictionary Entries near divine

divine inspiration

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Last Updated

20 Jan 2021

Cite this Entry

“Divine.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/divine. Accessed 22 Jan. 2021.

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More Definitions for divine

divine

adjective

English Language Learners Definition of divine

(Entry 1 of 2)

: relating to or coming from God or a god

informal + somewhat old-fashioned : very good

divine

verb

English Language Learners Definition of divine (Entry 2 of 2)

formal + literary : to discover or understand (something) without having direct evidence

See the full definition for divine in the English Language Learners Dictionary

divine

di·vine | \ də-ˈvīn

\

Kids Definition of divine

(Entry 1 of 2)

1 : of or relating to God or a god divine will

2 : being in praise of God : religious, holy divine worship

3 : like a god The pharaohs of ancient Egypt were considered divine.

4 : very good

divine

divined; divining

Kids Definition of divine (Entry 2 of 2)

1 : to discover or understand something by using intuition

2 : to foretell the future by using signs and omens or magic powers

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