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
-
clairvoyants
plural
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
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
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.
See Examples For:
Even within the tenuous reality of the movie, Frankie and Molly aren’t focused on saving their own necks, especially after their clairvoyant powers kick in and the friends realize they can communicate with closed mouths.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 13, 2026
Earlier this year, podcaster Tim Ferriss called Aschenbrenner “the Nostradamus of AI,” telling listeners that his viral paper was “as close to clairvoyant as you could possibly be.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 31, 2026
I’m skeptical but I called my clairvoyant friend to see if there was a reason for this sudden male attention and whether I should consider getting delivery from now on.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 24, 2026
While I claim no clairvoyant skills, given the ever-diminishing quality of the air we breathe, purified air could definitely become a commodity someday.
From Salon ● Jul. 19, 2026
Still another clairvoyant asked his dog, Pilu, about the Mona Lisa.
From "The Mona Lisa Vanishes" by Nicholas Day
Few of these bets paid off, so the oddsmakers were seen less as clairvoyants than reliable indicators of who wouldn’t be accepting a medal in Stockholm.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 23, 2026
But in tumultuous Myanmar, even clairvoyants urge caution.
From Barron's ● Dec. 21, 2025
“Beyond Black,” a realistically toned novel, was set in a world of psychics and clairvoyants.
From Washington Post ● Sep. 23, 2022
Fairley offered to hold a dinner for Barker and a collection of astrologers, clairvoyants, and card readers, if he could write it up for the newspaper.
From The New Yorker ● Feb. 25, 2019
Newspapers asked fortune-tellers, or clairvoyants, where the painting was.
From "The Mona Lisa Vanishes" by Nicholas Day
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.
