divine 1 of 3

1
2
as in heavenly
of, relating to, or being God for these divine gifts let us be truly thankful

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

divine

2 of 3

noun

divine

3 of 3

verb

Synonym Chooser

How is the word divine different from other verbs like it?

Some common synonyms of divine are anticipate, foreknow, and foresee. While all these words mean "to know beforehand," divine adds to foresee the suggestion of exceptional wisdom or discernment.

was able to divine Europe's rapid recovery from the war

When could anticipate be used to replace divine?

Although the words anticipate and divine have much in common, anticipate implies taking action about or responding emotionally to something before it happens.

the waiter anticipated our every need

When might foreknow be a better fit than divine?

The synonyms foreknow and divine are sometimes interchangeable, but foreknow usually implies supernatural assistance, as through revelation.

if only we could foreknow our own destinies

When can foresee be used instead of divine?

While the synonyms foresee and divine are close in meaning, foresee implies nothing about how the knowledge is derived and may apply to ordinary reasoning and experience.

economists should have foreseen the recession

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of divine
Adjective
In the cataclysmic civil war at Kuru-kshetra, both the divine Pandava brothers and their treacherous cousins, the Kauravas, end up breaking the rules of war to achieve victory at any cost. Seamus Sullivan september 29, Literary Hub, 29 Sep. 2025 Existentialism and absurdism both begin with the belief that life lacks inherent meaning and that no divine force gives us purpose. Big Think, 25 Sep. 2025
Noun
But that subgenre is far from the only religiously tinged music — created by everyone from devout evangelicals to open agnostics, from country artists to rappers — climbing the charts today; a number of pop songs are likewise courting the divine. Aja Romano, Vox, 8 July 2025 The gestures of Darrell Grand Moultrie’s choreography thread together the divine, in the narration of those scenes about Marimba’s origins, with the bumping and grinding of the club, which touches the latter with the air of the holy. Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 21 May 2025
Verb
It may have been divined by the cosmos that Indie-Reign picked up golf clubs. Don Norcross, San Diego Union-Tribune, 9 July 2025 However, there's a connection because the performer feels it was divined by a power greater than him. Marcus K. Dowling, The Tennessean, 2 July 2025 See All Example Sentences for divine
Recent Examples of Synonyms for divine
Adjective
  • The ‘Mahabharat’ enabled by AI is a wonderful example of how tradition and technology can work hand in hand.
    Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 10 Oct. 2025
  • Again and again, striking out into the unknown led to wonderful new possibilities, making my life grow larger and deeper.
    Sarah Chamberlain, PEOPLE, 10 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • This dish is a heavenly mishmash between creamy, decadent risotto and jambalaya.
    Marianne Williams, Southern Living, 12 Oct. 2025
  • Guests will do a double-take at this piece that looks like something out of a heavenly boutique hotel.
    Yelena Moroz Alpert, Architectural Digest, 6 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • Farmers exercised a right, a rare sight However, this display, engineered by farmers, suggests a departure from the control elite priests had over the right to worship and build centers for astronomical observation and ritual.
    Maria Mocerino, Interesting Engineering, 11 Oct. 2025
  • O’Connor stars as Jud Duplencity, a priest sent to a remote outpost in Upstate New York, who becomes a kind of sidekick to Blanc in solving the mystery.
    Jake Kanter, Deadline, 11 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • In April, Caviezel anticipated returning as Christ in Resurrection.
    Glenn Garner, Deadline, 11 Oct. 2025
  • Most teams anticipate the asking price to be steep.
    Dianna Russini, New York Times, 11 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • Sims said Kaiser offers competitive pay and excellent health benefits, and is already reducing internal costs to make its latest wage offer to the Alliance of Health Care Unions — of which UNAC/UCHP is a member.
    Sacbee.com, Sacbee.com, 11 Oct. 2025
  • Alabama’s Ty Simpson was excellent, finishing 23-for-31 for 200 yards and three touchdowns through the air.
    Maddie Hartley, Kansas City Star, 11 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • There are no direction markers, no information board to explain that here, nestled between an air-conditioner repair shop and a gaming cafe, lies one of Brazilian football’s holy sites.
    Jack Lang, New York Times, 11 Oct. 2025
  • This writer is of the firm belief that our tears become holy in the form of ink on a page.
    Marina Watts, PEOPLE, 6 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • Carolyn Smith, the late preacher’s daughter, said her father — like Pendleton a Knoxville College graduate — was instrumental in recruiting Pendleton and other Black educators to teach in San Diego.
    Jemma Stephenson, San Diego Union-Tribune, 26 Sep. 2025
  • Most famously, the late preacher and radio host Harold Camping predicted doomsday again and again.
    C. A. Bridges, AZCentral.com, 23 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • It’s been better than even the most optimistic among us could have foreseen.
    Chad Graff, New York Times, 8 Oct. 2025
  • That’s the grim reality that state and regional transportation planners foresee by the time the Valley has surpassed 1 million residents in 2050.
    Rose Evans, Idaho Statesman, 3 Oct. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Divine.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/divine. Accessed 13 Oct. 2025.

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