omniscient

adjective

om·​ni·​scient äm-ˈni-shənt 

1

: having infinite awareness, understanding, and insight

a novel with an omniscient narrator [=a narrator who knows what all the characters are doing and thinking]

the narrator seems an omniscient person who tells us about the characters and their relations

—Ira Konigsberg

2

: possessed of universal or complete knowledge

the omniscient God

omnisciently adverb

Did you know?

What is the origin of omniscient?

One who is omniscient literally knows all. The word omniscient traces back to two Latin roots: omni-, meaning "all" or "universally," and the noun scientia, meaning "knowledge." You will recognize omni- as the prefix that tells all in such words as omnivorous ("eating all," or in actual use, "eating both plants and animals") and omnipotent ("all-powerful"). Scientia comes from the Latin verb scīre, meaning "to know," which likewise has a number of other knowledge-related descendants in English, including conscience, science, and prescience (meaning "foreknowledge").

Examples of omniscient in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The system, which fuses data from smartphones, security and traffic cameras, Wi-Fi signals, drones, government databases and social media, has granted Israel what seems an almost omniscient ability to track Hezbollah cadres’ every movement. —Nabih Bulos, Los Angeles Times, 4 May 2026

The writer relies on an omniscient point of view, using foreshadowing and flashbacks as well as multiple locations. —Encyclopedia Britannica, 24 Apr. 2026

What if this use of language appeared not only in the character’s speech but in the actual text of the story itself—an omniscient, third-person story? —Literary Hub, 20 Apr. 2026

In his telling, the patient often wants to comply with the heroic, omniscient analyst in order to avoid thinking for herself; the analyst must guard against this dynamic and against his own desire to dominate the patient. —Katy Waldman, New Yorker, 16 Mar. 2026

Word History

Etymology

New Latin omniscient-, omnisciens, back-formation from Medieval Latin omniscientia

First Known Use

1598, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for omniscient

• deficient
• efficient
• proficient
• sufficient
• beneficent
• coefficient
• inefficient
• insufficient

Podcast

Get Word of the Day delivered to your inbox!

Kids Definition

omniscient

adjective

om·​ni·​scient äm-ˈnish-ənt 

: knowing everything

omnisciently adverb

Etymology

from modern Latin omniscient-, omnisciens "knowing all things, all-knowing," derived from omni- (from omnis "all") and scient-, sciens "knowing," from scire "to know" — related to science