Word
cassandra
Phoneticscas·san·dra
/kəˈsændɹə/
Definition
n. someone who predicts that something bad will happen but is not believed by others. Even if their warnings are correct, people usually ignore them.
n. a person who prophesies disaster or misfortune but whose warnings are disregarded. Derived from the figure in Greek mythology who was cursed to speak true prophecies that no one would believe.
Examples
“The economist was a lonely cassandra before the market crashed.”
“Environmental scientists often feel like a collective cassandra, issuing urgent warnings about climate change that politicians choose to ignore.”
“History eventually vindicated her as a modern cassandra, though her contemporary critics had dismissed her dire predictions about the housing bubble as mere alarmism.”
Examples
simple
“The economist was a lonely cassandra before the market crashed.”
contextual
“Environmental scientists often feel like a collective cassandra, issuing urgent warnings about climate change that politicians choose to ignore.”
complex
“History eventually vindicated her as a modern cassandra, though her contemporary critics had dismissed her dire predictions about the housing bubble as mere alarmism.”
Usage
Often used as a common noun, though it originates from a proper name; frequently appears in political or economic commentary.
Etymology
From Ancient Greek Κασσάνδρα (Kassándra).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Scan code
englishreference.com/q/cassandra