Word
prophecy
Phoneticsprophe·cy
US/ˈpɹɑfəsi/
UK/pɹˈɒfəsi/
Definitions
01a prediction
B2 · Upper Intermediate Countable noun Religion
n. a prediction about the future, especially one that people believe comes from a god.
n. a prediction of future events, typically one made by a prophet or under divine inspiration.
Español:profecía
“The old woman made a prophecy that the kingdom would one day fall.”
“The oracle delivered a cryptic prophecy that the king misinterpreted, leading his army into a disastrous and unnecessary conflict.”
Pitfall
The ancient king heard a dark prophesy.
The ancient king heard a dark prophecy.
In modern English, 'prophecy' is the noun (the thing) and 'prophesy' is the verb (the action).
Synonyms
02the power of predicting
C1 · Advanced Uncountable noun Religion Literary
n. the ability or act of telling what will happen in the future.
n. the faculty, function, or practice of a prophet; the act of divining the future.
“He was believed to have the gift of prophecy from a young age.”
“The monk was revered for his gift of prophecy, though he rarely spoke of the visions that haunted his sleep.”
Synonyms
Real-World Examples
“Underrepresentation can also become a self-fulfilling prophecy, the study authors said.” “That's why he started to wonder whether people's attitudes to trust might become self-fulfilling prophecies.” “The findings point to a psychological mechanism known as a "self-fulfilling prophecy." The results have recently been published in the journals Psychology and Aging and Journal of Gerontology: Series B Psychology and Social Sciences.” Etymology
From Middle English prophecie, from Old French prophetie, from Latin prophētīa, from Ancient Greek προφητεία (prophēteía, “prophecy”), from προφήτης (prophḗtēs, “speaker of a god”), from πρό (pró, “before”) + φημί (phēmí, “I tell”). Displaced native Old English wītgung. Doublet of prophesy.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Word family
NOUN
ADJECTIVE
- Exam level
- CambridgeCambridgeCambridge English QualificationsThe exam suite from Cambridge University Press & Assessment, from A1 Movers up to C2 Proficiency. The benchmark names double as CEFR labels.C1 AdvancedIELTSIELTSInternational English Language Testing SystemThe 0–9 band test co-owned by the British Council, IDP, and Cambridge. Used for university entry, work, and migration.7.0–8.0TOEFL iBTTOEFL iBTTest of English as a Foreign Language, Internet-Based TestETS's academic English test, the standard route for US university admissions. Scored 0–120, with a 1–6 scale since 2026.1–6 scale: 5.0–5.595–113TOEICTOEICTest of English for International CommunicationETS's workplace English test, big in Japan and Korea. Listening & Reading scores 10–990 and tops out at C1.945–990
- Frequency
- Frequent
- Level
- C1 · Advanced
- Updated
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QR code
englishreference.com/q/prophecy
Traducciones: Kaikki.org (Wiktionary), CC BY-SA 4.0