Definition

1. Adjective:
   • Relating to or characteristic of a prophet or prophecy: Describing something that predicts or foretells future events, often with an implication of divine inspiration or supernatural insight.
   • Accurately describing or anticipating a future event: Used for statements, warnings, or visions that later come true.

Usage

The adjective prophetic is used to describe a person, statement, writing, or feeling that correctly predicts what will happen in the future. It often carries a formal or literary tone.

Examples

• Her early warnings about the economic crisis turned out to be prophetic.
• The ancient text contained prophetic visions of great technological change.
• He had a prophetic dream about the outcome of the election.
• The director's film was prophetic in its depiction of a society controlled by social media.

Advanced Usage

• Prophetic utterance: A formal or inspired declaration that foretells the future.
  • The oracle's prophetic utterance was recorded and studied for centuries.
• To prove prophetic: To be shown to be a correct prediction after time has passed.
  • His gloomy predictions about the project sadly proved prophetic.

Variants and Related Words

• Prophetically (adverb): In a prophetic manner.
  • She spoke prophetically about the challenges ahead.
• Prophesy (verb): To predict or foretell a future event.
  • He claimed to prophesy the rise of a new leader.
• Prophet (noun): A person regarded as an inspired teacher or proclaimer of the will of God; someone who predicts the future.
  • The prophet's teachings were collected in a sacred book.

Synonyms

• Predictive: Indicating what will happen in the future.
• Prescient: Having knowledge of events before they take place; foreseeing.
• Oracular: Resembling an oracle, especially in being mysterious or ambiguous.
• Foretelling: Telling of a future event beforehand.

Antonyms

• Retrospective: Looking back on or dealing with past events.
• Unprophetic: Not prophetic; not predicting the future.

Related Idioms and Phrases

• A prophetic voice: Someone who speaks with insight about future trends or moral consequences.
  • The activist was considered a prophetic voice on environmental issues.
• Prophetic words: Words that later are seen to have predicted an event.
  • "This will end in tears," she said, and her prophetic words came true just hours later.

Adjective

1. foretelling events as if by supernatural intervention
   • prophetic writings
   • prophetic powers
   • words that proved prophetic