seer

¹ American  

[see-er, seer] / ˈsi ər, sɪər /

noun

1. a person who sees; see; observer.

2. a person who prophesies future events; prophet.

   Industry seers predicted higher profits.

   Synonyms:

   augur, soothsayer, oracle

3. a person endowed with profound moral and spiritual insight or knowledge; a wise person or sage who possesses intuitive powers.

4. a person who is reputed to have special powers of divination, as a crystal gazer or palmist.

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seer ² American  

[seer, sair] / sɪər, sɛər /

noun

1. ser.

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seer ¹ British  

/ sɪə /

noun

1. a person who can supposedly see into the future; prophet

2. a person who professes supernatural powers

3. a person who sees

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seer ² British  

/ sɪə /

noun

1. a variant spelling of ser

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Other Word Forms

• seeress noun

Etymology

Origin of seer¹

Middle English word dating back to 1350–1400; see ¹, -er ¹

Origin of seer²

First recorded in 1610–20

Example Sentences

A traveling seer had given her the flying coat soon after she was born.

From Literature

As these tone-deaf lines indicate, Flanner was a gifted writer but not a political seer.

From The Wall Street Journal

“I am a seer of Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow,” replied Madam Lucille spookily.

From Literature

A new twist in series three made one player the "seer", who could force a fellow contestant to tell them whether they were a faithful or a traitor.

From BBC

Just for fun, we asked these 11 seers to identify other megatrends that will capture investors’ attention in coming years.

From Barron's

Related Words

• forecaster
• prophet
• soothsayer