fortune-teller

American  

[fawr-chuhn-tel-er] / ˈfɔr tʃənˌtɛl ər /

Or fortuneteller

noun

fortune-tellers plural

1. a person who claims the ability to predict the future.

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fortune-teller British  

noun

1. a person who makes predictions about the future as by looking into a crystal ball, reading palms, etc

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• fortune-telling
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• fortune-tellers
  plural

Etymology

Origin of fortune-teller

First recorded in 1580–90; fortune + teller ( def. )

Example Sentences

You may need a Nobel Prize-winning mathematician and a fortune teller to ensure that they each end up with an equal amount.

From MarketWatch • May 28, 2026

I’d love for you to play fortune teller for a moment, which I realize is always dangerous.

From Salon • Jan. 17, 2026

The fortune teller, Sophia Martinez, faces charges of embezzling the mayor, while he himself is accused of corruption for spending lavish amounts of taxpayers’ money on her.

From BBC • May 26, 2024

Taher’s mother saw a fortune teller who said her relatives were still alive.

From Seattle Times • Jan. 31, 2024

Christopher remembered the fortune teller and looked at Mal, who was vomiting on the pavement several feet away, scowling.

From "Impossible Creatures" by Katherine Rundell