numerology

American  

[noo-muh-rol-uh-jee, nyoo-] / ˌnu məˈrɒl ə dʒi, ˌnju- /

noun

1. the study of numbers, as the figures designating the year of one's birth, to determine their supposed influence on one's life, future, etc.

---

numerology British  

/ ˌnjuːməˈrɒlədʒɪ, ˌnjuːmərəˈlɒdʒɪkəl /

noun

1. the study of numbers, such as the figures in a birth date, and of their supposed influence on human affairs

---

Other Word Forms

• numerologist
  noun
• numerological
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of numerology

1910–15; < Latin numer ( us ) number + -o- + -logy

Example Sentences

Numerology can be fun to think about, the idea that there’s something mystical at work in Swift’s oeuvre, but a sloppy reference like this undermines the whole enterprise.

From Slate • Dec. 11, 2020

Numerology features regularly in hip-hop too, but few acts are quite as nuts about numbers as the Wu.

From The Guardian • Oct. 14, 2016

MacKinnon, of Calgary, Alberta, author of “Please Take a Number: Numerology for Real Life and Everyday Success,” said Tuesday that those kinds of energy are good news for couples planning to marry on 12-12-12.

From Salon • Dec. 11, 2012

Numerology, especially in its soothsaying and divinatory aspects, is in many ways a typical pseudoscience.

From "Innumeracy: Mathematical Illiteracy and Its Consequences" by John Allen Paulos

She threw Numerology and Grammatica onto one pile and The Rise and Fall of the Dark Arts onto the other.

From "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" by J.K. Rowling