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

• 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

But the way the storyline wraps ups — with one of the three billionaires, Logan Lerman’s Jay, deciding to step up and own his role in the season’s shady dealings, therefore taking himself down alongside his other culprits — was certainly some wishful thinking that could, one day, prove prophetic. —Josh Wigler, HollywoodReporter, 28 Oct. 2025

That theme, along with the figure of a prophetic character, felt especially powerful in a Latin American context. —Anna Marie De La Fuente, Variety, 28 Oct. 2025

Those words proved to be prophetic. —Joe Kozlowski, MSNBC Newsweek, 25 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

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