prophesy

verb proph·e·sy \ ˈprä-fə-ˌsī \

Definition of prophesy

prophesied; prophesying

transitive verb

1 :to utter by or as if by divine inspiration

2 :to predict with assurance or on the basis of mystic knowledge

3 :prefigure

intransitive verb

1 :to speak as if divinely inspired

2 :to give instruction in religious matters :preach

3 :to make a prediction

—

prophesier

play \-ˌsī(-ə)r\ noun

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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 of prophesy from the Web

He (or she) is prophesied to follow in Azor's footsteps and save the Seven Kingdoms with the help of Lightbringer.

— kayleigh roberts, Marie Claire, "Who Is Azor Ahai on 'Game of Thrones'?," 15 Aug. 2017
In the late 19th-century legend of Crazy Horse, the Oglala Sioux leader prophesied an economic, spiritual, and social renaissance among Native Americans.

— emily jan, The Atlantic, "A Reservation, Restored," 2 Aug. 2017
The libretto, an amalgam of biblical texts, moves from a dark depiction of apocalypse, through sections of penitence and prophesy, to an evocation of spiritual solace.

— john von rhein, chicagotribune.com, "Brilliant fiddle virtuoso, choral rarity, lend cachet to Ravinia, Grant Park concerts," 30 July 2017
These two social groups—and, most likely, different social strata—are crashing into each other, much like Dave Matthews prophesied they would long ago.

— richard lawson, Vanities, "Did a Car Accident Reveal a Darker Side of HGTV’s Biggest Hit?," 10 July 2017
These two social groups—and, most likely, different social strata—are crashing into each other, much like Dave Matthews prophesied they would long ago.

— vanityfair.com, "Did a Car Accident Reveal a Darker Side of HGTV’s Biggest Hit?," 10 July 2017
The laughs are saved for Johnson and the narrative prophesying left for Russell Crowe.

— jake kring-schreifels, Esquire, "How Tom Cruise Rebranded Himself Into Our Most Reliable Action Hero," 10 June 2017
It was prophesied in 1885 that Parkville would become a bedroom community for Kansas City.

— martha zirschky, kansascity.com, "From riverboat landing to suburban mecca: Parkville a thriving town in the Northland," 26 May 2017
Private schools would prosper at the direct expense of public schools, an outcome prophesied by critics of Trump and his Education Secretary, Betsy DeVos.

— sarah jones, New Republic, "Trump’s education budget is shaping up to be a disaster.," 17 May 2017

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.

Origin and Etymology of prophesy

Middle English prophesien, from Anglo-French *prophecier, from Old French, from prophecie

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First Known Use: 14th century

See Words from the same year

prophesy Synonyms

Synonyms

augur, call, forecast, predict, presage, prognosticate, foretell, read, vaticinate

Related Words

alert, caution, forewarn, warn; bode, forebode (also forbode), portend, promise; anticipate, divine, foreknow, foresee; announce, declare, herald, proclaim

Near Antonyms

describe, narrate, recite, recount, relate, report, tell

Synonym Discussion of 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.