as in prediction
a declaration that something will happen in the future
took the soothsayings published in the tabloids with a grain of salt
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as in predicting
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Recent Examples of soothsaying
Literary Hub, 16 Apr. 2026
Yet another closed the gap between doomsday soothsaying, beautiful love songs, the buzzing of broken refrigerators, and the august majesty of whales.
—Philip Sherburne, Pitchfork, 16 Dec. 2025
As Pete says, juries almost literally live on another planet, being sequestered from the likes of us and our soothsaying.
—Damon Wise, Deadline, 23 May 2025
It’s told in flashback to Simba and Nala’s daughter, Kiara, by the soothsaying mandrill Rafiki, with the meerkat Timon and the warthog Pumbaa goofing on the sidelines.
—Matt Zoller Seitz, Vulture, 5 Dec. 2024
Does Nashawaty, in his soothsaying capacity, even have the right decade?
—Anthony Lane, The New Yorker, 15 July 2024
But it was powered by profound public discontent with Argentina’s sclerotic status quo, especially from a generation of younger voters who have seen little relief from years of endemic fiscal crisis and debt, and have no more patience for the appeals and soothsaying of the establishment.
—Ishaan Tharoor, Washington Post, 21 Nov. 2023
For now, earthquakes remains the trickiest natural disaster to predict, but our earthquake soothsaying is improving, as geologists uncover the subtle secrets of the world-shaking movements along Earth’s many fault lines.
—Darren Orf, Popular Mechanics, 20 July 2023
And he’s developed a recent interest in soothsaying, a result of several visits to psychic Frank Andrews.
—Tonya Blazio-Licorish, Footwear News, 3 Sep. 2019
Noun
This is the mix of soothsaying and realism that entrepreneurs like Musk deploy to raise money for their companies.
—Literary Hub, 16 Apr. 2026
Yet another closed the gap between doomsday soothsaying, beautiful love songs, the buzzing of broken refrigerators, and the august majesty of whales.
—Philip Sherburne, Pitchfork, 16 Dec. 2025
As Pete says, juries almost literally live on another planet, being sequestered from the likes of us and our soothsaying.
—Damon Wise, Deadline, 23 May 2025
It’s told in flashback to Simba and Nala’s daughter, Kiara, by the soothsaying mandrill Rafiki, with the meerkat Timon and the warthog Pumbaa goofing on the sidelines.
—Matt Zoller Seitz, Vulture, 5 Dec. 2024
Does Nashawaty, in his soothsaying capacity, even have the right decade?
—Anthony Lane, The New Yorker, 15 July 2024
But it was powered by profound public discontent with Argentina’s sclerotic status quo, especially from a generation of younger voters who have seen little relief from years of endemic fiscal crisis and debt, and have no more patience for the appeals and soothsaying of the establishment.
—Ishaan Tharoor, Washington Post, 21 Nov. 2023
For now, earthquakes remains the trickiest natural disaster to predict, but our earthquake soothsaying is improving, as geologists uncover the subtle secrets of the world-shaking movements along Earth’s many fault lines.
—Darren Orf, Popular Mechanics, 20 July 2023
And he’s developed a recent interest in soothsaying, a result of several visits to psychic Frank Andrews.
—Tonya Blazio-Licorish, Footwear News, 3 Sep. 2019
Recent Examples of Synonyms for soothsaying
Noun
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But while Pritzker’s actions may be read through the lens of his potential 2028 presidential ambitions, the broader issue of who can regulate prediction markets has been building for months.—
Olivia Olander,
Chicago Tribune,
26 Apr. 2026
-
Traders on the prediction market site Polymarket were giving Musk 32% odds of success as of Friday, after weeks of volatile price swings.—
David Ingram,
NBC news,
26 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Without full accounting, required financial statements, annual audits, budget tracking and forecasting are thrown off and libraries risk spending money that’s supposed to be dedicated to pensions on building maintenance, Franco said.—
A.D. Quig,
Chicago Tribune,
26 Apr. 2026
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Subsequent investigations have suggested that the infrastructure and risk forecasting were inadequate for such a devastating natural disaster.—
Kurt Snibbe,
Oc Register,
25 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
With the 2025 college football season on the horizon, months of previewing and predicting soon will be in the rearview mirror.—
Quentin Corpuel,
Kansas City Star,
8 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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Thoughts of all the beautiful, mundane, familiar things that make life so sweet had turned sour in my ominous fortune-telling.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
17 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Minimum inflow from the Colorado River into Lake Powell over the coming months is expected to be just 29% of its historical average, and one of the lowest on record for the reservoir along the border between Arizona and Utah, according to a Bureau of Reclamation forecast.—
CNN.com Wire Service,
Mercury News,
24 Apr. 2026
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Sunday and Monday have the potential to be the most potent days of the stretch, but the forecast hinges on key details.—
Briana Waxman,
CNN Money,
24 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
But maybe this is a self-fulfilling prophecy.—
Richard E. Vatz,
Baltimore Sun,
15 Apr. 2026
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Isaiah is one of the greatest books of the Old Testament regarding the prophecy of Jesus Christ as savior.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
14 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Her company then put out a glossy launch video promoting its product’s wondrous new features, neglecting to mention that the tech didn’t actually work.—
Theo Baker,
The Atlantic,
24 Apr. 2026
-
The usage of not just music, but visuals, color, emotion, and story brought another reason to explore the wondrous nature of filmmaking.—
Heide Janssen,
Oc Register,
19 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Her appointment was agreed at an extraordinary meeting Monday of the festival’s executive board, made up of San Sebastián City Council, the Provincial Council of Gipuzkoa, the Basque Government and the Spanish Ministry of Culture.—
Melanie Goodfellow,
Deadline,
27 Apr. 2026
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And yet many were created with extraordinary artistic ambition.—
Sudhir Gupta,
Rolling Stone,
27 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Soothsaying.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/soothsaying. Accessed 1 May. 2026.
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