soothsayer

noun

sooth·​say·​er ˈsüth-ˌsā-ər 

-ˌser

: a person who predicts the future by magical, intuitive, or more rational means : prognosticator

Did you know?

The origins are straightforward: a soothsayer is someone who says sooth. You may, however, find that less than enlightening! Sooth is an archaic word meaning "truth" or "reality" that dates from Old English and was used until about the first half of the 17th century. (It is believed to share an ancestor with words suggesting truthfulness and reality in Old Norse, Greek, Old High German, Sanskrit, Latin, and Gothic languages.) Soothsayer itself has been documented in print as far back as the 14th century. Today, it is also a moniker of the insect the mantis, whose name means "prophet" in Greek.

Synonyms

• augur
• diviner
• forecaster
• foreseer
• foreteller
• fortune-teller
• futurist
• prognosticator
• prophesier
• prophet
• seer
• visionary

Examples of soothsayer in a Sentence

a soothsayer predicted that I would meet the man of my dreams online, assuming of course that I became a subscriber to the website's dating service

Recent Examples on the Web

Given that the upcoming trial for tax felonies may have included testimony about how and when the presidential son shared fees from questionable foreign sources with his father, Mason could've had a side gig as a soothsayer. —Amanda Castro, Newsweek, 2 Dec. 2024

Through an inexplicable turn of events, Talbot slays a wolf with an antique silver cane; a soothsayer later informs him that the victim is, in fact, her transformed son. —EW.com, 31 Oct. 2024

Dating back to classical antiquity, the idea that a soothsayer can tell something about a person’s health, disposition, or destiny from the lines on their palm has long fascinated seers and scientists alike. —The Editors, JSTOR Daily, 30 Oct. 2024

Artists are soothsayers, time travelers, and conjurers. —Chadd Scott, Forbes, 14 Sep. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined above

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Kids Definition

soothsayer

noun

sooth·​say·​er ˈsüth-ˌsā-ər 

: a person who claims to foretell events

soothsaying

-ˌsā-iŋ

noun