# prophetic

/pɹəˈfɛtɪk/ (US) · /pɹɒfˈɛtɪk/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/prophetic
Updated: 2026-08-27

## Senses

### 1. predicting the future

adjective · CEFR C1 · Academic

correctly saying what will happen in the future before it actually happens.

For teachers: accurately predicting or foreshadowing future events; demonstrating prescience.

- His warnings about the economy proved to be prophetic when the markets crashed.
- The novelist's descriptions of a surveillance-state society proved eerily prophetic in light of recent technological developments.

Usage: Often used with 'proved to be' or 'turned out to be'.

### 2. related to a prophet

adjective · CEFR C1 · Formal · Literary

related to a prophet or a religious message about the future.

For teachers: of, relating to, or characteristic of a prophet or prophecy.

- The old books contained prophetic visions of a coming king.
- The scholar spent years analyzing the prophetic traditions of the ancient Near East to understand their social impact.

## Examples

- Her early warnings about the economy proved to be prophetic.
- The author's 1950s novel about digital surveillance seems remarkably prophetic in today's world of social media.
- Historians often debate whether the statesman's final speech was truly prophetic or simply a logical extension of the geopolitical tensions already visible at the time.

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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.