prophetic

adjective

pro·​phet·​ic prə-ˈfe-tik How to pronounce prophetic (audio)
variants or less commonly prophetical
1
: of, relating to, or characteristic of a prophet or prophecy
2
: foretelling events : predictive
prophetically adverb

Examples of prophetic in a Sentence

the prophetic books of the Old Testament in retrospect, those lower-than-expected sales numbers were a prophetic indicator of the financial trouble the company would soon be in
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Eddington contains a number of images, story points and themes that struck a chord at the time of its theatrical release in July 2025, but a number of them have proven to be quite prophetic of more recent events within America’s fraught political landscape. Brian Davids, HollywoodReporter, 10 Oct. 2025 In its choice to honor his prophetic body of work, the Nobel committee has broadcast a reminder that the political relevance of art lies, paradoxically, in its sense of feeling apart from time. Walt Hunter, The Atlantic, 9 Oct. 2025 The words turned out to be prophetic. Jennifer Van Grove, San Diego Union-Tribune, 29 Sep. 2025 Le Bon strikes me as similarly prophetic. Rumaan Alam, New Yorker, 26 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for prophetic

Word History

Etymology

Middle English prophetyk, borrowed from Middle French & Late Latin; Middle French prophetique, borrowed from Late Latin prophēticus, borrowed from Greek prophētikós, from prophḗtēs prophet + -ikos -ic entry 1

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of prophetic was in the 15th century

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Cite this Entry

“Prophetic.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/prophetic. Accessed 18 Oct. 2025.

Kids Definition

prophetic

adjective
pro·​phet·​ic prə-ˈfet-ik How to pronounce prophetic (audio)
variants or prophetical
: of or relating to a prophet or prophecy
prophetically adverb

More from Merriam-Webster on prophetic

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