# prescient

/ˈpɹɛsiənt/ (US) · /pɹˈiːsiənt/ (UK) · CEFR C1 · Adjective

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/prescient
Updated: 2026-10-15

## Definition

knowing what will happen in the future before it happens. You use it when someone guesses right about something early.

For teachers: having or showing foresight; accurately anticipating future events or developments. Often describes predictions or observations recognized as accurate only after the fact.

## Examples

- Her prescient advice saves us a lot of trouble.
- His prescient warning about the housing bubble saved several clients from heavy losses in 2008.
- The novel's prescient depiction of surveillance culture, written decades before smartphones, now reads less like speculation than quiet documentation.

## Synonyms

prophetic

## Antonyms

shortsighted

## Usage notes

- Often collocates with nouns such as 'warning', 'prediction', and 'observation'.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.