divine

[ dih-vahyn ]

See synonyms for: divine diviner divining divinely on Thesaurus.com

adjective,di·vin·er, di·vin·est.

of or relating to a god, especially the Supreme Being.
addressed, appropriated, or devoted to God or a god; religious; sacred: divine worship.

proceeding from God or a god: divine laws;divine guidance.
godlike; characteristic of or befitting a deity: divine magnanimity.
heavenly; celestial: the divine kingdom.
extremely good; unusually lovely: He has the most divine tenor voice.
being a god; being God: Zeus, Hera, and other divine beings in Greek mythology.
of superhuman or surpassing excellence: Beauty is divine.
Obsolete. of or relating to divinity or theology.

noun

a theologian; scholar in religion.
a priest or member of the clergy.

the Divine,
- God.
- (sometimes lowercase) the spiritual aspect of humans; the group of attributes and qualities of humankind regarded as godly or godlike.

verb (used with object),di·vined, di·vin·ing.

to discover or declare (something obscure or in the future) by divination; prophesy.
to discover (water, metal, etc.) by means of a divining rod.

to perceive by intuition or insight; conjecture: She divined personal details about her customers based on their clothing and accents.It was not difficult to divine his true intent.
Archaic. to portend.

verb (used without object),di·vined, di·vin·ing.

to use or practice divination; prophesy.
to have perception by intuition or insight; conjecture.

Origin of divine

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English divin(e), devin(e), from Old French devin(e), Latin dīvīnus, equivalent to dīv(us) “god” + -īnus -ine¹

Other words for divine

13, 17	foretell, predict, foresee, forecast
15, 18	discern, understand

See synonyms for divine on Thesaurus.com

Opposites for divine

5	worldly, mundane

See antonyms for divine on Thesaurus.com

Other words from divine

di·vin·a·ble, adjective
di·vine·ly, adverb
di·vine·ness, noun
half-di·vine, adjective
half-di·vine·ly, adverb
pre·di·vin·a·ble, adjective
pseu·do·di·vine, adjective
sub·di·vine, adjective
sub·di·vine·ly, adverb
sub·di·vine·ness, noun
su·per·di·vine, adjective
un·di·vin·a·ble, adjective
un·di·vined, adjective
un·di·vin·ing, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use divine in a sentence

Under this worldview, Iran’s supreme leader acts as God’s representative on earth, with a divine mandate over all Muslims worldwide.
Iran's Revolutionary Guard Is Radicalizing Young Men Across the Middle East. The U.S. Needs a Counterinsurgency Strategy | Kasra Aarabi | February 11, 2021 | Time
The ancient world looked at disease, especially plagues, as evidence of divine wrath.
The virus caused more than a pandemic. It set us all ablaze. | Philip Kennicott | February 5, 2021 | Washington Post
A few days later I made a second batch with a few vegan swaps and again, divine.
The Best Recipes to Cook This Week, According to Eater Staffers Who Actually Cooked Them | Eater Staff | January 29, 2021 | Eater
This feeling of divine intervention inspired Julia to find matches for the more than 20 women being served by Ovations for the Cure.
Picking Up the Pieces of Us | Susanna Schrobsdorff | January 10, 2021 | Time
They were honest readers doing their best to understand a book they believed was divinely inspired and free from error.
‘The Principle’: Geocentrism is What Real Biblical Literalism Looks Like | Karl W. Giberson | April 10, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST

But regardless of what many Indians believe, India is not a divinely ordained idea.
India’s Newest State Telangana Is Bosnia Redux | Kranti Rai | March 22, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
I had many black people tell me I was crazy or divinely misdirected to think they would elect a black state-wide in Illinois.
The Historic Gathering of America’s African-American Senators | Ron Christie | March 4, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
This divinely inspired video of a teenage Vin Diesel breakdancing is one such gift.
Vin Diesel’s 6 Greatest YouTube Masterpieces | Amy Zimmerman | January 29, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
It seeks the rule of law and accountability, not the rule of a supreme leader or a divinely-chosen Imam.
Egypt's President Mubarak Plays With Fire | Bruce Riedel | February 10, 2011 | THE DAILY BEAST
He was a boy of eighteen, aching over his first love affair; and she was divinely mothering him.
The Wave | Algernon Blackwood
Divinely precious and infinitely perfect as it is, there is no part of it with which he can dispense.
The Ordinance of Covenanting | John Cunningham
Let us suppose we were told that the whole book—facts, reason, folly, and falsehoods—was divinely inspired and literally true.
God and my Neighbour | Robert Blatchford
But they were closely united in what they held to be the divinely appointed constitution of the Church.
The English Church in the Eighteenth Century | Charles J. Abbey and John H. Overton
The only power which influenced them was that assumed by some man who professed to be divinely inspired.
Ancient Faiths And Modern | Thomas Inman

British Dictionary definitions for divine

divine

/ (dɪˈvaɪn) /

adjective

of, relating to, or characterizing God or a deity
godlike

of, relating to, or associated with religion or worship: the divine liturgy
of supreme excellence or worth
informal splendid; perfect

noun

the divine (often capital) another term for God
a priest, esp one learned in theology

verb

to perceive or understand (something) by intuition or insight
to conjecture (something); guess

to discern (a hidden or future reality) as though by supernatural power
(tr) to search for (underground supplies of water, metal, etc) using a divining rod

Origin of divine

C14: from Latin dīvīnus, from dīvus a god; related to deus a god

Derived forms of divine

divinable, adjective
divinely, adverb
divineness, noun
diviner, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Browse