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

Spotify's initial pushback in 2019 against Apple's policies, often dismissed by Apple as self-serving and mislead, turned out to be prophetic. —Vivian Toh, Forbes.com, 7 May 2025

Pope Francis leaves behind a legacy not of doctrine alone, but of deep human connection, prophetic conscience, and unshakable solidarity with the oppressed. —Faisal Kutty, MSNBC Newsweek, 6 May 2025

The lawfare against Marine Le Pen proves just how prophetic those warnings were. —Newsweek Staff, MSNBC Newsweek, 4 Apr. 2025

Often heralded as prophetic, this novel centers on a young girl with a debilitating form of hyperempathy. —Clare Mulroy, USA Today, 12 Apr. 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