oracular

[ aw-rak-yuh-ler, oh-rak- ]
See synonyms for oracular on Thesaurus.com
adjective
  1. of the nature of, resembling, or suggesting an oracle: an oracular response.

  2. giving forth utterances or decisions as if by special inspiration or authority.

  1. uttered or delivered as if divinely inspired or infallible; sententious.

  2. ambiguous; obscure.

  3. portentous; ominous.

Origin of oracular

1
First recorded in 1625–35; from Latin ōrācul(um) oracle + -ar1

Other words for oracular

Other words from oracular

  • o·rac·u·lar·ly, adverb
  • o·rac·u·lar·i·ty [aw-rak-yuh-lar-i-tee, oh-rak-], /ɔˌræk yəˈlær ɪ ti, oʊˌræk-/, o·rac·u·lar·ness, noun

Words Nearby oracular

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use oracular in a sentence

  • After this manifestation of spiritual presence, the priest within is prepared to give oracular responses.

    The Indian in his Wigwam | Henry R. Schoolcraft
  • Unreasonably to the others, Michael did not object very much to Wilmot's oracular addresses on the delights of youth.

    Sinister Street, vol. 1 | Compton Mackenzie
  • "I would na be surprised," he observed with oracular amiability.

    That Lass O' Lowrie's | Frances Hodgson Burnett
  • I suppose I remembered it for its oracular sound, and because I was not intended to listen.

    The Heir of Redclyffe | Charlotte M. Yonge
  • "Nothing offends a woman so much as to be afraid of offending her," was her oracular reply, as she flitted over the sill.

    Love in a Cloud | Arlo Bates

British Dictionary definitions for oracular

oracular

/ (ɒˈrækjʊlə) /


adjective
  1. of or relating to an oracle: Apollo had his oracular shrine at Delphi

  2. wise and prophetic: an oracular political thriller

  1. mysterious or ambiguous

Derived forms of oracular

  • oracularly, adverb

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012