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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

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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

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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

The landscape was bleak even before Macbeth heard the fateful prophecy and embarked on his murderous adventure—Ms. Proske’s production suggests that the impulse toward tyranny never ends.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 24, 2026

Many parts of the Pacific today hold deep-rooted beliefs in Old Testament prophecy, which holds that Jews are destined to one day return to the Land of Israel.

From Barron's ● Sep. 11, 2026

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

“Um, let’s go with flammable. Anyway, that line from the prophecy bothers me: To storm or fire the world must fall.”

From "The House of Hades" by Rick Riordan

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

"Family bonds, ancient prophecies, and the sacred line of succession will be tested in a dangerous campaign for power. Who will survive? Who will rise?"

From BBC ● Feb. 18, 2026

Nor will Mr. Amodei in the event that his prophecies come to nothing.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 4, 2026

One sign of the fictional nature of this line of thinking is the way prophecies of the end of the world are routinely, in Kermode’s words, “disconfirmed without being discredited.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 16, 2025

She makes pronouncements that Ivanito doesn’t understand, stays up all night hearing prophecies in her head, forgives her father and ex-husband long lists of past trespasses.

From "Dreaming in Cuban" by Cristina García

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Related Words

• apocalypse
• prognostication
• revelation

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