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definitions

fortune-teller

or for·tune·tell·er

[ fawr-chuh n-tel-er ]
/ ˈfɔr tʃənˌtɛl ər /
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SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR fortune-teller ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a person who claims the ability to predict the future.

RELATED WORDS

diviner, medium, seer, prophet, augur, oracle, soothsayer, clairvoyant, spiritualist, predictor

Nearby words

  1. fortune,
  2. fortune cookie,
  3. fortune five hundred,
  4. fortune hunter,
  5. fortune-hunter,
  6. fortuneteller,
  7. fortunetelling,
  8. forty,
  9. forty hours,
  10. forty winks

Origin of fortune-teller

First recorded in 1580–90; fortune + teller
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for fortuneteller

  • A fortuneteller with cards gives one the same shock of surprise.

    The Path of a Star|Mrs. Everard Cotes (AKA Sara Jeannette Duncan)

  • Nevertheless, however blind and lying is the fortuneteller's art, it may yet hit home once in a thousand times.

    The Original Fables of La Fontaine|Jean de la Fontaine

  • She was a fortuneteller and she wanted to tell me my fortune.

    Slave Narratives: Arkansas Narratives|Work Projects Administration

  • They were a sort of cross between the bard and the fortuneteller.

    Bible Studies|Joseph M. Wheeler
British Dictionary definitions for fortuneteller

fortune-teller

noun

a person who makes predictions about the future as by looking into a crystal ball, reading palms, etc
Derived Formsfortune-telling, adjective, 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
Word Origin and History for fortuneteller

fortuneteller

n.

also fortune-teller, 1580s, from fortune + teller. Verbal phrase tellen fortune is from early 15c.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper