divine
Americanadjective
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of or relating to a god, especially the Supreme Being.
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addressed, appropriated, or devoted to God or a god; religious; sacred.
divine worship.
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proceeding from God or a god.
divine laws;
divine guidance.
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godlike; characteristic of or befitting a deity.
divine magnanimity.
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the divine kingdom.
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extremely good; unusually lovely.
He has the most divine tenor voice.
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being a god; being God.
Zeus, Hera, and other divine beings in Greek mythology.
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of superhuman or surpassing excellence.
Beauty is divine.
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Obsolete. of or relating to divinity or theology.
noun
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a theologian; scholar in religion.
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a priest or member of the clergy.
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the Divine,
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God.
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(sometimes lowercase) the spiritual aspect of humans; the group of attributes and qualities of humankind regarded as godly or godlike.
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verb (used with object)
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to discover or declare (something obscure or in the future) by divination; prophesy.
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to discover (water, metal, etc.) by means of a divining rod.
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to perceive by intuition or insight; conjecture.
She divined personal details about her customers based on their clothing and accents.
It was not difficult to divine his true intent.
- Synonyms:
- understand, discern
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Archaic. to portend.
verb (used without object)
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to use or practice divination; prophesy.
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to have perception by intuition or insight; conjecture.
- Synonyms:
- understand, discern
adjective
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of, relating to, or characterizing God or a deity
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godlike
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of, relating to, or associated with religion or worship
the divine liturgy
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of supreme excellence or worth
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informal splendid; perfect
noun
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(often capital) another term for God
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a priest, esp one learned in theology
verb
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to perceive or understand (something) by intuition or insight
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to conjecture (something); guess
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to discern (a hidden or future reality) as though by supernatural power
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(tr) to search for (underground supplies of water, metal, etc) using a divining rod
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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undivinableadjective
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divinelyadverb
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undivinedadjective
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divinenessnoun
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subdivinenessnoun
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superdivineadjective
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subdivinelyadverb
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half-divineadjective
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divinableadjective
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half-divinelyadverb
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divinernoun
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subdivineadjective
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predivinableadjective
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undiviningadjective
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pseudodivineadjective
Conjugated Forms
Present
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has divinedperfect 3rd person singular
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have divinedperfect
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have been diviningperfect progressive
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am diviningprogressive 1st person singular
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divinessingular 3rd person
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diviningparticiple
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has been diviningperfect progressive 3rd person singular
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are diviningprogressive
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is diviningprogressive 3rd person singular
Past
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had divinedperfect
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were diviningprogressive plural
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was diviningprogressive singular
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divinedsimple
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had been diviningperfect progressive
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divinedparticiple
Future
Etymology
Origin of divine
First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English divin(e), devin(e), from Old French devin(e), Latin dīvīnus, equivalent to dīv(us) “god” + -īnus -ine 1
Explanation
"To err is human, to forgive divine" means that everyone makes mistakes, but we should try to be like god and forgive one another. Divine basically means relating to, coming from, or like God or a god. Divine also has an old-fashioned and informal meaning of being very good or pleasing, as in "She looked absolutely divine in her blue and white gown." This is an adjective that goes back to Middle English, borrowed from Old French devine, from Latin dīvīnus "divine, foreseeing," from dīvus "god."
Vocabulary lists containing divine
"The Raven" by Edgar Allan Poe
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"The Raven"
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World Religions
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Because these celebrity exorcists are imbued with a kind of divine authority in their audiences’ minds by their proximity to supernatural matters, their social media followings can be unusually strong and loyal.
From Slate • Jun. 8, 2026
I kept hearing a divine voice calling me ... from this chorus that is said to be by Félix Alduén, but people don’t know if it came from Alduén or someone before him.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 4, 2026
One time, when my Aunt Sue came to visit from Baltimore, she made hers with a jar of mushroom-flavored Prego, and I thought that upgrade was as divine as Bette Midler.
From Salon • Jun. 3, 2026
The prophet, as he is known by his followers who believe he shares divine revelation directly from God, has denied any involvement in his wife's death.
From BBC • May 22, 2026
Therefore when he had fallen by a Trojan spear the Greeks paid him honors as though he were divine and the gods, too, greatly distinguished him.
From "Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes" by Edith Hamilton
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
