prophetic

adjective

pro·​phet·​ic prə-ˈfe-tik 

variants or less commonly prophetical

prə-ˈfe-ti-kəl 

1

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

2

: foretelling events : predictive

prophetically

prə-ˈfe-ti-k(ə-)lē 

adverb

Synonyms of prophetic

• predictive

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

Difficult People began during the Obama era, a context Klausner believes matters when people call the series prophetic. — Seth Abramovitch, HollywoodReporter, 21 Aug. 2026

But Puck’s inflated branding has, over time, come to look almost prophetic. — Aidan McLaughlin, Vanity Fair, 19 Aug. 2026

And since long before Freud, dreams have been regarded as prophetic. — Veronique Greenwood, Time, 18 Aug. 2026

Rhaenyra has kept Helaena prisoner in her Red Keep bedchamber, trying to pry information about the future from the Dragon Dreamer, whose prophetic visions sometimes find their way into her elaborate embroidery. — Bryan Alexander, USA Today, 10 Aug. 2026

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

Rhymes for prophetic

• acetic
• aesthetic
• ascetic
• athletic
• cosmetic
• diegetic
• eidetic
• emetic
• esthetic
• frenetic
• genetic
• helvetic

Kids Definition

prophetic

adjective

pro·​phet·​ic prə-ˈfet-ik 

variants or prophetical

-ˈfet-i-kəl 

: of or relating to a prophet or prophecy

prophetically

-i-k(ə-)lē 

adverb