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

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

Freeman serves as an omniscient narrator for performances by the Symphonic Blues Experience, sharing history, introducing characters, providing cultural context for the music and its influence. —Ben Crandell, Sun Sentinel, 7 Mar. 2026

An omniscient perspective makes sense, to a certain extent, when examining people whose lives are as well-chronicled as the Kennedys. —Ben Travers, IndieWire, 12 Feb. 2026

Music is deeply woven into the film’s fabric, with performances and songs from both actors and musicians serving as the omniscient voice of the characters’ lives. —John Hopewell, Variety, 28 Jan. 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

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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