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

Filming is being lined up for late 2027 on the project about small-town groupthink in 1930s Europe; Simenon’s 1939 novel is considered a prophetic study of race hatred and mass hysteria. —Andreas Wiseman, Deadline, 14 May 2026

Instead, the emotional dislocation, technological dread and fractured identity woven into Radiohead’s turn-of-the-century pivot now seem scarily prophetic. —Jonathan Cohen, SPIN, 12 May 2026

Often described as a prophetic American text, Melville’s novel warns of the dangers of following an unrepentant leader on myopic pursuits. —Time, 30 Apr. 2026

Orwell is often lauded as prophetic because his 1940s dystopian novels ring true with readers today. —Clare Mulroy, USA Today, 28 Apr. 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