English Reference

Word

oracle

Phoneticsor·a·cle

US/ˈɔɹəkəɫ/

UK/ˈɒɹəkəl/

Definitions

01ancient source of prophecy

B2 · Religion

n. in ancient times, a priest or a holy place where people went to ask the gods for advice about the future.

n. a priest or priestess acting as a medium through whom advice or prophecy was sought from the gods in classical antiquity.

“In ancient Greece, leaders often visited the oracle at Delphi before going to war.”

“The king refused to mobilize his army until the oracle had delivered a favorable prophecy regarding the outcome of the campaign.”

02a wise person

C1

n. someone who is considered very wise and whose advice people trust.

n. a person thought to possess great wisdom or authority in a particular field.

“My grandfather was the family oracle, and everyone went to him for help with their problems.”

“In the world of high finance, he was regarded as an oracle whose every market prediction was followed with religious devotion.”

Literary

03computing/math entity

C2 · Computing

n. a system or service that provides specific information to a computer program or a smart contract.

n. a theoretical or third-party entity capable of providing external data to a system, such as a blockchain or a Turing machine.

“The smart contract uses an oracle to check the current price of gold.”

“The reliability of the decentralized application depends entirely on the integrity of the oracle providing real-time weather data.”

Technical

Synonyms

Real-World Examples

“Television crime dramas have done their part, too, often portraying the device as an oracle for uncovering the truth when conventional methods fail.”
The Conversation · 10 Sept 2026
“It begins at the oracle at Delphi, with a hymn to belief over rationalism.”
The Guardian · 17 Aug 2026

Etymology

From Middle English oracle, from Old French oracle m, from Latin ōrāculum n.

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Related words

Domain

Computing

This entry

Level
C2 · Proficiency
Frequency
Frequent
Updated

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