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
Derived Forms
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.
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 • Sep. 5, 2024
Pythagoras himself was said to have been inspired to study philosophy by the Delphic priestess Themistoclea.
From Textbooks • Jun. 15, 2022
The multiple frame photography and video works, lavishly textured and devotionally rendered, operate as Delphic objects, portals to nature.
From New York Times • Aug. 4, 2021
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 • Apr. 17, 2020
He had left his home, Corinth, where he was held to be the son of the King, Polybus, and the reason for his self-exile was another Delphic oracle.
From "Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes" by Edith Hamilton
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.
