Definition of PROPHESY

Choose the Right Synonym for prophesy

foretell, predict, forecast, prophesy, prognosticate mean to tell beforehand. foretell applies to the telling of the coming of a future event by any procedure or any source of information. seers foretold the calamity predict commonly implies inference from facts or accepted laws of nature. astronomers predicted an eclipse forecast adds the implication of anticipating eventualities and differs from predict in being usually concerned with probabilities rather than certainties. forecast snow prophesy connotes inspired or mystic knowledge of the future especially as the fulfilling of divine threats or promises. prophesying a new messiah prognosticate is used less often than the other words; it may suggest learned or skilled interpretation, but more often it is simply a colorful substitute for predict or prophesy. prognosticating the future

Examples of prophesy in a Sentence

The book claims that modern events were prophesied in ancient times. holy men were prophesying the coming of a new messiah

Recent Examples on the Web

The person who prophesied this film, more than a century ago, is Freud. — Michelle Mcnamara, The New Yorker, "“Avengers: Infinity War” and “Let the Sunshine In”," 27 Apr. 2018 The neighbors' complaints were prophesied more than a decade ago, when the area next to the plant was filled with citrus groves. — Lily Altavena, azcentral, "Controversy in the air as Mesa homeowners decry neighboring asphalt plant’s odors," 11 July 2018 Born into a poor family of tatami-mat makers, the legally blind Asahara drew thousands of followers into his sect, which prophesied an imminent Armageddon in which its followers would seize power and achieve salvation. — Author: Stuart Biggs, Gearoid Reidy, Anchorage Daily News, "Japan executes cult leader and 6 others for deadly 1995 sarin attack," 6 July 2018 Occasionally novels manage not just to reflect events but to prophesy them. — The Economist, "Brexit is reverberating in British literature," 5 July 2018 Vaughn prophesied that the future of Mark McGwire, a good pitching prospect, would be even brighter if he were converted to a hitter. — Si.com Staff, SI.com, "Weekend Read: A Case for All 16 Teams to Win the World Cup, Reflecting on Tyler Hilinski and More," 29 June 2018 Outrageous luxury is only one element in Koons’s masterly fusion of Pop content and minimalist aesthetics, which prophesied and still authorizes the cultural aplomb of our reconstituted, remorselessly ongoing gilded age. — Naomi Fry, The New Yorker, "“Like Life” Shows Seven Hundred Years of the Body," 24 Mar. 2018 The One Day,’’ which surveys and denounces the greed and corruption of contemporary life in a range of voices that mix autobiography, history, and prophesy. — Wesley Mcnair, BostonGlobe.com, "A life of love, poetry — and the Red Sox," 24 June 2018 Evangelicals have compared Trump to the Persian biblical king Cyrus, and suggested (and even made films arguing) that his presidency was prophesied. — Tara Isabella Burton, Vox, "The racist history of the Bible verse the White House uses to justify separating families," 15 June 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'prophesy.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.