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prophecy

American  

[prof-uh-see] / ˈprɒf ə si /

noun

• prophecies
  plural

1. the foretelling or prediction of what is to come.

2. something that is declared by a prophet, especially a divinely inspired prediction, instruction, or exhortation.

3. a divinely inspired utterance or revelation.

   oracular prophecies.

4. the action, function, or faculty of a prophet.

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prophecy British  

/ ˈprɒfɪsɪ /

noun

1. 1. a message of divine truth revealing God's will

   2. the act of uttering such a message

2. a prediction or guess

3. the function, activity, or charismatic endowment of a prophet or prophets

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Commonly Confused

The French-derived noun prophecy and the related verb prophesy have a unique history. Before English spelling became relatively stabilized, they were both spelled many different ways—some with a c, some with an s, and even, at least in the case of the noun, some with a t (as in the corresponding modern French form prophétie ). But in the 18th century, the great diversity of spellings for these words settled down, with the c form becoming standard for the noun and the s form for the verb. At some point the pronunciation of the verb was also distinguished from that of the noun, so that instead of rhyming with see, like the noun, the verb rhymed with sigh —perhaps by analogy with the many verbs ending in -fy ( testify, stupefy, etc.). Considering the close relationship between the words, it is not surprising that they are easily confused; in particular, it is not unusual to see the noun written with an s, just as was often done before the 18th century. We may even prophesy that, over time, the form will once again become a completely acceptable spelling for the noun. But until then, careful writers and speakers maintain the conventional and long-established distinction between the two words in both spelling and pronunciation. Similarly, the verb "prophesize" (or "prophecize")—resulting from confusion between prophesy and verbs ending in -ize like proselytize and prioritize —is regarded as nonstandard. When you make a prophecy (sounds like see ), you are prophesying (sounds like sighing ).

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• prophecies
  plural

Etymology

Origin of prophecy

First recorded in 1175–1225; Middle English prophecie, from Old French, from Late Latin prophētīa, from Greek prophēteía; see prophet, -y ³

Explanation

If a fortune teller made a prophecy that you were going to become a billionaire in your lifetime, you'd be pretty excited. A prophecy is a prediction, or a magical look into the future. The noun prophecy means a magical foreknowledge, although it can also be used in a playful way to describe an ordinary guess or prediction about the future. So you could say, "Her prophecy for the weather next week is incredibly depressing." The word comes from the Greek prophetia — literally, "gift of interpreting the will of the gods". The verb form is prophesy, or predict, and it's spelled with an s instead of a c.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

prophecy prophecies

Past performance is hardly prophecy, and even Kaeppel admits that he has struggled to produce an explanation for why this seven-year cycle has seemingly worked as well as it has.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 11, 2026

The prophecy states that they’ll acquire the powers of “Break” – to dismantle or undo something – and “Seal” to contain, reconstruct or suppress something.

From Salon ● Jul. 18, 2026

While the first autism studies in the 1940s did include a small cohort of girls, the condition appeared to be more prevalent in boys and the gender divide became a "self-fulfilling prophecy".

From BBC ● Jul. 7, 2026

In that way, the race seems to be shaping up as less a competition than a self-fulfilling prophecy.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 15, 2026

We go now to assemble our neighbors in the order that the prophecy dictates.

From "Gregor the Overlander" by Suzanne Collins

Indeed, in both cases, followers of the dead prophets are constantly finding new meaning in old prophecies.

From Salon ● Apr. 4, 2026

Forgive me, but I have seen and heard prophecies emanating from what must be the same Doomsday Machine before.

From Barron's ● Feb. 25, 2026

Warren Buffett once called him a Cassandra—the mythological Trojan priestess whose grim prophecies were ignored.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 28, 2025

"If you keep looking at your age, you go back to these self-fulfilling prophecies," Peters says.

From BBC ● Nov. 29, 2025

They had heard of her strange fame as a prophetess whom no one ever believed and yet whose prophecies were always proved true by the event.

From "Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes" by Edith Hamilton

Related Words

• apocalypse
• prognostication
• revelation