prescient

American  

[presh-uhnt, ‑ee-uhnt, pree-shuhnt, ‑shee-uhnt] / ˈprɛʃ ənt, ‑i ənt, ˈpri ʃənt, ‑ʃi ənt /

adjective

1. having prescience, or knowledge of things or events before they exist or happen; having foresight.

   The prescient economist was one of the few to see the financial collapse coming.

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Other Word Forms

• nonprescient adjective
• nonpresciently adverb
• presciently adverb
• unprescient adjective
• unpresciently adverb

Etymology

Origin of prescient

First recorded in 1590–1600; from Old French, from Latin praesciēns (stem praescient- ), present participle of praescīre “to know beforehand,” equivalent to prae- “before” + scīre “to know”; pre- ( def. ); science ( def. )

Explanation

To be prescient is to have foresight or foreknowledge. We can use this word to describe people themselves, or what they say or do at a given moment. You probably know that the Latin prefix pre- means "before," so you might be able to figure out that the word prescient, from the verb praescire, means to "know beforehand." People like economists, sports commentators, and political analysts often get tagged with this word, because it's part of their job to sift through the data and make predictions — and sometimes they get it right. And when they're not just lucky, we might say they're prescient.

Example Sentences

Then she considers a question that didn’t feel as prescient then: Does she feel like it broke the cycle she’s had with Mortensen?

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 19, 2026

Was it a prescient warning or a bunch of hot air?

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 11, 2026

One prescient call in 2023 from its “age of scarcity” predicted an era of cheap credit and commodities was ending and that so-called real assets and infrastructure would benefit.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 5, 2026

As 2025 progressed, stock leadership changed, and a commitment to diversification and owning underappreciated names proved prescient.

From Barron's • Feb. 26, 2026

With all the advantages of hindsight, Jefferson’s strategic assessment of 1796 appears more and more prescient: Whoever followed Washington was probably doomed to failure.

From "Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation" by Joseph J. Ellis

Related Words

• farsighted