Tiresias

noun

Ti·​re·​si·​as tī-ˈrē-sē-əs 

-zē-

: a blind seer of Thebes who in one Greek myth is changed into a woman for several years and then changed back to a man

Examples of Tiresias in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Post-Homeric legends relate that after returning to Ithaca Odysseus traveled to northern Greece to appease Poseidon, having descended to the underworld in the Odyssey to consult the seer Tiresias on the manner of expiation. — Gitanjali Roy, Encyclopedia Britannica, 12 June 2026

The king takes measures to make that prophecy fail and sends his newborn son Oedipus (Kelvin Jones-Fernandez) with his right-hand man Tiresias (Luis Medina) to be killed. — Zach Dennis, Charlotte Observer, 15 May 2026

The Oscar winner Rami Malek makes his London debut in the title role, alongside the Olivier winner Indira Varma as Jocasta and Cecilia Noble as the blind, yet all-knowing, Tiresias. — Matt Wolf, New York Times, 3 Jan. 2025

Protected by a black door with stained glass circles, the Mausoleum Tiresias is the first burial site for trans women in Mexico. — Chantal Flores, Los Angeles Times, 6 Nov. 2023

Almost as an afterthought, Tiresias tells us about human senses and their vulnerabilities—for instance, premature macular degeneration, which has left Silver, their sight fading, singing hymns about photoreceptors. — Helen Shaw, The New Yorker, 27 Jan. 2023

Word History

Etymology

Latin, from Greek Teiresias

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for Tiresias

• capias
• ideas
• tortillas
• ureas
• panaceas
• pharmacopoeias
• trias