prescience
Americannoun
noun
Other Word Forms
- prescient adjective
- presciently adverb
Etymology
Origin of prescience
First recorded in 1325–75; Middle English, from Late Latin praescientia “foreknowledge”; equivalent to pre- + science
Explanation
Do you already know what happens tomorrow? Next week? Next year? If you can see into the future, then you have prescience. The word prescience might look like pre + science, but it really comes from the Latin word praescientia, which means "fore-knowledge" — or knowledge you know before anyone else. Don't assume it's a crystal ball kind of power that lets someone with prescience see the future. It's more like a state of mind or level of expertise that allows for excellent foresight and planning.
Vocabulary lists containing prescience
Latin Love, Vol I: sci
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
100 SAT words Beginning with "P"
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
The Inheritance Games
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The same result using active management requires superior valuation techniques, prescience in forecasting innovation and its addressable market, and conviction in sizing each bet.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 27, 2026
I think the ABA is vindicated in its assessment, and deserves a little medal for prescience here.
From Slate • Mar. 13, 2026
If anything, his adaptation proves Mary Shelley’s prescience.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 10, 2026
If warnings of an artificial-intelligence bubble turn out to be true, Danoff’s retirement may look, in retrospect, like a final act of market prescience.
From Barron's • Jan. 27, 2026
In her younger years, with prescience and good management, Mammachi had collected all her falling hair in a small, embroidered purse that she kept on her dressing table.
From "The God of Small Things" by Arundhati Roy
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
