clairvoyant
Americanadjective
-
having or claiming to have the power of seeing objects or actions beyond the range of natural vision.
Not being clairvoyant, I did not foresee the danger of ignoring her advice.
-
of, by, or pertaining to clairvoyance.
Unlike more talented witches, I had to make do with love potions and occasional clairvoyant visions.
noun
adjective
-
of, possessing, or relating to clairvoyance
-
having great insight or second sight
noun
Pop Culture
— The Clairvoyant: A 1934 film starring Claude Rains and Fay Wray. — The Clairvoyant Journals: A conceptual art piece (1978) by poet Hannah Weiner. It was written in the form of a diary with 3 concurrent and contrasting voices narrating, and was performed live. —“The Clairvoyant”: A 1988 song by the band Iron Maiden, purportedly inspired by the death of British psychic Doris Stokes.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of clairvoyant
First recorded in 1665–75; from French: literally, “clear seeing,” equivalent to clair “clear, clearly ”+ voyant “seeing” (present participle of voir “to see,” from Latin vidēre ); see origin at clear ( def. ), wit, -ant ( def. )
Explanation
If you can predict the future, you may want to keep your clairvoyant powers to yourself. Otherwise everyone will be knocking down your door asking for the next winning lotto numbers. A clairvoyant individual is believed to possess psychic abilities or a higher level of insight than other humans who can only use the regular old five senses. Through dreams, visions, Ouija boards and crystal balls, they can see what happens in the future. But before 1851, clairvoyant didn't have the same mystical meaning that it does today — it merely meant a “clear-sighted person.”
Vocabulary lists containing clairvoyant
100 Top "SAT" Words
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
"Simon's Saga," Vocabulary from Episode 20
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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.
Frederick FitzHerbert and his sister, Francesca, are not clairvoyant, but they seem to know just what Evelyn needs.
From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 9, 2025
Nearly 250 years later, Hamilton sounds positively clairvoyant.
From Salon • Jun. 18, 2025
In the world of today, his warnings have never seemed more clairvoyant.
From BBC • Mar. 6, 2025
Regulars walked through the halls of crystal skulls and clairvoyant booths with the renewed vigor of being proved right, at least on some of it.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 4, 2024
Capron also wove the sisters’ revelations into existing ideas set forth by yet another man, the well-known clairvoyant lecturer Andrew Jackson Davis, known as the “Poughkeepsie Seer.”
From "American Spirits" by Barb Rosenstock
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.
