divination
Americannoun
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the practice of attempting to foretell future events or discover hidden knowledge by occult or supernatural means.
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augury; prophecy.
The divination of the high priest was fulfilled.
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perception by intuition; instinctive foresight.
noun
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the art, practice, or gift of discerning or discovering future events or unknown things, as though by supernatural powers
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a prophecy
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a presentiment or guess
Other Word Forms
- divinatory adjective
Etymology
Origin of divination
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English divinacioun, from Anglo-French, from Latin dīvīnātiōn-, stem of dīvīnātiō, equivalent to dīvīnāt(us) “soothsaid” (past participle of dīvīnāre “to soothsay”; divine ) + -iō -ion
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.
From precolonial Mexico we discover obsidian mirrors used for divination in Mayan and Aztec ceremonies.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 16, 2026
The shamans, like the one seen in “Squid Game,” usually are mediators to the spirit world using divination or other rituals.
From Salon • Jun. 29, 2025
Ancestral divination is imperative in order to get through to that, because they’re always there watching.
From New York Times • Nov. 27, 2024
The initial members include Lilia Calderu, a divination witch; Jennifer Kale, a potions expert; Alice Wu-Gulliver, a protection witch; and Sharon Davis, a.k.a.
From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 25, 2024
He learned in this way the art of divination as no one ever had, and he became a famous soothsayer.
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.
