oracular

[aw-rak-yuh-ler, oh-rak-]

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adjective

of the nature of, resembling, or suggesting an oracle: an oracular response.
giving forth utterances or decisions as if by special inspiration or authority.
uttered or delivered as if divinely inspired or infallible; sententious.

ambiguous; obscure.
portentous; ominous.

Origin of oracular

1625–35; < Latin ōrācul(um) oracle + -ar¹

Related formso·rac·u·lar·ly, adverbo·rac·u·lar·i·ty

[aw-rak-yuh-lar-i-tee, oh-rak-] /ɔˌræk yəˈlær ɪ ti, oʊˌræk-/, o·rac·u·lar·ness, noun

Synonyms for oracular

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1. prophetic. 2. authoritative, dogmatic. 4. equivocal.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for oracular

ambiguous, apocalyptic, arcane, auspicious, authoritative, cabalistic, clairvoyant, cryptic, dogmatic, foreboding, imperious, mysterious, mystical, obscure, occult, ominous, peremptory, portentous, positive, prescient

Examples from the Web for oracular

Contemporary Examples of oracular

They make the Court an oracular interpreter of the 225-year-old Constitution that serves as the most basic American law.
God Save the United States From This Anti-Democratic Court
Jedediah Purdy
June 22, 2014
His comments are aphoristic or oracular, but often infused with wit.
Stephen Hawking 70th-Birthday Salute
Martin Rees
January 8, 2012
Greenspan cultivated an oracular air, his utterances vague and technocratic yet hinting at shamanistic powers.
Bernanke's Arrogance Problem
Zachary Karabell
December 6, 2010

Historical Examples of oracular

It assumes to be prophetical, and its utterances are oracular.
The Works of Whittier, Volume VI (of VII)
John Greenleaf Whittier
"Anybody can do it, when once they know how," so ran this oracular document.
A Tangled Tale
Lewis Carroll
And Marion delivered this speech with a most oracular and pretentious tone.
The Bramleighs Of Bishop's Folly
Charles James Lever
"You are neither of you right, as usual," said little Potts, in his oracular way.
Potts's Painless Cure
Edward Bellamy
Margaret was oracular and mysterious, and looked like a thundercloud.
Daisy
Elizabeth Wetherell

British Dictionary definitions for oracular

oracular

adjective

of or relating to an oracleApollo had his oracular shrine at Delphi
wise and prophetican oracular political thriller
mysterious or ambiguous

Derived Formsoracularly, adverb

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 oracular

adj.

1670s, from Latin oraculum (see oracle) + -ar.