prophetic

adjective pro·phet·ic \ prə-ˈfe-tik \

variants: or less commonly prophetical play \prə-ˈfe-ti-kəl\

|Updated on: 6 Jun 2018

Examples: prophetic in a Sentence

Definition of prophetic

1 : of, relating to, or characteristic of a prophet or prophecy

2 : foretelling events : predictive

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prophetically

play \prə-ˈfe-ti-k(ə-)lē\ adverb

See prophetic defined for English-language learners

See prophetic defined for kids

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 of prophetic from the Web

The fears and concerns his puppets gave voice to back then seem oddly prophetic today — there’s even a reference to building a wall to keep intruders out.

— NBC News, "4 life lessons we learned from Mr. Rogers that are especially relevant today," 22 May 2018
Two games into the series, his prediction seems prophetic.

— ron kroichick, San Francisco Chronicle, "Steph Curry is getting picked on defensively, and that isn’t likely to change," 19 May 2018
In a way, his approach to composition now seems prophetic.

— allan kozinn, WSJ, "‘Bernstein: Complete Works’ Review: Lenny at 100," 14 May 2018
Oats' words were prophetic, as Buffalo went on to decimate Arizona 89-68.

— andrew greif, OregonLive.com, "Live updates: Oregon State, Western Kentucky open NCAA Tournament," 16 Mar. 2018
If you're not convinced this is the most prophetic school play ever performed, the name of the man Middleton's character is eventually supposed to marry is...

— molly horan, Glamour, "Kate Middleton Was Told at 13 Years Old That She'd Marry a Man Named William," 5 Mar. 2018
The New Testament Gospels portray Jesus as speaking against the oppressors of his people with prophetic words of judgment that focus extensively on issues of money and power.

— david b. gowler, Fortune, "Commentary: Let’s Be Honest: Paul Ryan Would Fire Jesus as House Chaplain," 1 May 2018
That has been more than prophetic so far this season.

— james weber, Cincinnati.com, "Covington Catholic graduate Luke Maile puts stamp on Toronto Blue Jays," 20 Apr. 2018
The thinking was that Choi might help the Brewers win that season opener in San Diego, which proved prophetic.

— tom haudricourt, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Haudricourt: Brewers try to prepare players who might be involved in roster roulette," 13 Apr. 2018

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