Delphic
Americanadjective
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of or relating to Delphi.
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of or relating to Apollo, or to his temples or oracles.
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(often lowercase) oracular; obscure; ambiguous.
She was known for her Delphic pronouncements.
adjective
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of or relating to Delphi or its oracle or temple
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obscure or ambiguous
Other Word Forms
- delphically adverb
Etymology
Origin of Delphic
1590–1600; < Latin Delphicus < Greek Delphikós, equivalent to Delph ( oí ) Delphi + -ikos -ic
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.
Called “The Four Sibyls,” the frescoes depict the female seers of ancient Greek and Roman mythology, including the Roman, Cumaean, Erythraean and Delphic sibyls.
From Los Angeles Times
The judge’s forlorn prediction is a safe one given the Supreme Court’s Delphic opinion and the Justice Department’s subsequent superseding indictment in the case.
From Los Angeles Times
The court’s fairly Delphic order retains a stay on the case pending its consideration of the merits, with oral arguments scheduled for the week of April 22.
From Los Angeles Times
The multiple frame photography and video works, lavishly textured and devotionally rendered, operate as Delphic objects, portals to nature.
From New York Times
Its king, Oedipus, desperate to understand why the gods have called such a plague down upon his realm, sends an emissary to the famed Delphic Oracle to find out.
From Salon
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.
