prescience

noun

pre·​science ˈpre-sh(ē-)ən(t)s 

ˈprē-,

-s(ē-)ən(t)s

: foreknowledge of events:

a

: divine omniscience

b

: human anticipation of the course of events : foresight

prescient

ˈpre-sh(ē-)ənt 

ˈprē-

-s(ē-)ənt

adjective

presciently adverb

Did you know?

If you know the origin of science you already know half the story of prescience. Science comes from the Latin verb sciō, scīre, "to know," also source of such words as conscience, conscious, and omniscience. Prescience has as its ancestor a word that attached prae-, a predecessor of pre-, to this root to make praescire, meaning "to know beforehand."

Synonyms

• foreknowledge
• foresight

Examples of prescience in a Sentence

He predicted their response with amazing prescience.

Her prescience as an investor is impressive.

Recent Examples on the Web

With Season 7 now on Netflix — after the questionable prescience and potency of Season 6 — IndieWire is updating our ranking of every installment. —Steve Greene, IndieWire, 12 Apr. 2025

Both require prescience, flexibility and a profound understanding of complex frameworks. —Boris Kreiman, Forbes, 18 Dec. 2024

With characteristic prescience, Dick wrote about a cold war during which sides calculate their chances of winning with advanced tech. —Stewart Clarke, Deadline, 14 Mar. 2025

Just a few months after that first season concluded, the Real Housewives franchise was launched, followed by The Kardashians two years later, only confirming The Comeback’s remarkable prescience. —Taylor Antrim, Vogue, 31 Jan. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Late Latin praescientia, from Latin praescient-, praesciens, present participle of praescire to know beforehand, from prae- + scire to know — more at science

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined above

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Kids Definition

prescience

noun

pre·​science ˈprēsh(-ē)-ən(t)s 

ˈpresh-

: foresight sense 1