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

• foresight
• foreknowledge
• divination

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

While talks fell apart back in the day, coming away from a global pandemic can serve as an inspiration for a director and scribe whose previous work on the subject seemed prescience for a year when 2020 was destitute and shut down. —Anthony D'alessandro, Deadline, 18 June 2025

Twenty years later, A Day Without a Mexican is having a second life — streaming on Amazon Prime and being referenced all over social media for its eerie prescience. —Benjamin Svetkey, HollywoodReporter, 18 June 2025

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

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