prognostication
AmericanEtymology
Origin of prognostication
1350–1400; Middle English pronosticacion < Medieval Latin prognōsticātiōn- (stem of prognōsticātiō ). See prognosticate, -ion
Explanation
A prognostication is a prediction about the future. If you make gloomy prognostications about how much traffic there will be on the way home, you'll be pleasantly surprised to find the drive fast and easy. Use the noun prognostication when someone's making a forecast or a guess about upcoming events. Your prognostication about whether or not it will rain tomorrow might lead to your family's picnic being cancelled. Another way to use the word is to mean a sign or portent: "I hope that black cat isn't a prognostication of bad luck!" The Latin root, prognostica, means "sign to forecast weather," and it comes from the Greek prognostikos, "foreknowing."
Vocabulary lists containing prognostication
The Alchemist
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Unbroken
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The Boys in the Boat
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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.
That said, the BDC has a 30% exposure to software, but O’Neill says everyone has to make a prognostication about the risk of default and the recovery rate in that event.
From Barron's ● Feb. 27, 2026
We’re not quite there on the colonization front, but Smith’s prognostication on viewing habits is right on track.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 12, 2025
He arrived on campus with high expectations under coach John McKay, but he exceeded every reasonable prognostication by becoming one of the most dominant running backs in college football history.
From Seattle Times ● Apr. 12, 2024
From Cyrus Scofield to Hal Lindsey to Tim LaHaye, we live in the wake of high-stakes prognostication allegedly grounded in John’s dream visions.
From Washington Post ● Mar. 21, 2023
“You’ll have to ask Madame Ionesco. Whatever she saw in her orb of prognostication, so far she’s kept it to herself. Anyway. ‘Aye aye, Madame,’ I reply.
From "The Long-Lost Home" by Maryrose Wood
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.
