prescient

[presh-uhnt, ‑ee-uhnt, pree-shuhnt, ‑shee-uhnt]

adjective

1. having prescience, or knowledge of things or events before they exist or happen; having foresight.

   The prescient economist was one of the few to see the financial collapse coming.

Other Word Forms

• presciently adverb
• nonprescient adjective
• nonpresciently adverb
• unprescient adjective
• unpresciently adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of prescient¹

First recorded in 1590–1600; from Old French, from Latin praesciēns (stem praescient- ), present participle of praescīre “to know beforehand,” equivalent to prae- “before” + scīre “to know”; pre- ( def. ); science ( def. )

Example Sentences

Much like with its grilled cheeses, Chanel boots and the decline of the print industry, “The Devil Wears Prada” remains scarily prescient when it comes to assessing our culture.

From Salon

“That Marx quote about how history repeats itself first as tragedy & then as farce is prescient as always,” wrote one commentator.

From Salon

“These architects were having really prescient conversations really early, at a time when architecture at the midcentury was still obsessed with replicating forms in a mass-produced context,” Piscitelli says.

From Los Angeles Times

In the shadow of Israel’s massive military assault and deliberate weaponization of starvation, this notion becomes chillingly prescient.

From Salon

It felt just as prescient in the aftermath of yet another defeat, with the team still searching for a winning formula amid its most disappointing stretch of the year.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• farsighted