horoscope

American  

[hawr-uh-skohp, hor‑] / ˈhɔr əˌskoʊp, ˈhɒr‑ /

noun

• horoscopes
  plural

1. a diagram of the heavens, showing the relative position of planets and the signs of the zodiac, for use in calculating births, foretelling events in a person's life, etc.

2. a prediction of future events or advice for future behavior based on such a diagram.

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horoscope British  

/ ˈhɒrəˌskəʊp, ˌhɒrəˈskɒpɪk /

noun

1. the prediction of a person's future based on a comparison of the zodiacal data for the time of birth with the data from the period under consideration

2. the configuration of the planets, the sun, and the moon in the sky at a particular moment

3. Also called: chart.  a diagram showing the positions of the planets, sun, moon, etc, at a particular time and place

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• horoscopic
  adjective
• unhoroscopic
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• horoscopes
  plural

Etymology

Origin of horoscope

before 1050; Middle English, Old English horoscopus < Latin < Greek hōroskópos, equivalent to hōro-, combining form of hṓra hour + skópos -scope

Compare meaning

How does horoscope compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• horoscope vs. zodiac

Explanation

You can usually read your daily horoscope in the local newspaper. A horoscope is a forecast of your future based on the month in which you were born. Some people believe that a horoscope is a real way to divine the future; they think that traits and circumstances are determined from the position of the planets at the exact moment of a person's birth. Others enjoy reading their horoscopes just for fun. The word horoscope has a Greek root, hōroskopos, combining hōra, "time or hour," and skopos, "observer or watching." A horoscope, in other words, is something that watches the hour of one's birth.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

horoscope horoscopes

In the course of his travels, he heard John Calvin speak, had his horoscope read by Nostradamus and witnessed the French dauphin toss a small dog out of a high window.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 26, 2026

But the country's most popular horoscope forecasting the Buddhist new year starting in early 2026, touted by street vendors nationwide in recent days, contains clashing portents.

From Barron's ● Dec. 21, 2025

Many critics noted that their work suffered from selection bias and determinism; a 1991 Newsweek article described it as “an elaborate historical horoscope that will never withstand scholarly scrutiny.”

From Salon ● Dec. 19, 2025

"I am a horse on my horoscope so I don't know if that has any correlation."

From BBC ● Aug. 24, 2025

And exactly what she said about every other horoscope we read this summer.

From "South of Somewhere" by Kalena Miller

Some studies have linked belief in horoscopes and zodiac signs to "confirmation bias", the tendency to believe or remember information that aligns with our pre-existing beliefs, and interpret it selectively to support them.

From BBC ● Aug. 3, 2024

In another trial, when given a photograph of a stocked bookshelf, both chatbots offered detailed descriptions of the hypothetical owner’s supposed character and interests that were almost like AI-generated horoscopes.

From Scientific American ● Oct. 5, 2023

By 1700, astrological consultation for personal destinies and the use of personal horoscopes “pretty much disappeared from Europe … and was no longer taken seriously by educated people,” Campion says.

From National Geographic ● Aug. 24, 2023

Susan Miller, an astrologer in New York who has written horoscopes for decades, was more skeptical.

From New York Times ● Jul. 4, 2023

He cast horoscopes for the Duke of Wallenstein, as he had done for Rudolf II, and spent his final years in a Silesian town controlled by Wallenstein and called Sagan.

From "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan

Related Words

• astrology