sibylline

[ sib-uh-leen, -lahyn, -lin ]

See synonyms for sibylline on Thesaurus.com

adjective

of, resembling, or characteristic of a sibyl; prophetic; oracular.
mysterious; cryptic.

Origin of sibylline

¹

First recorded in 1570–80; from Latin Sibyllīnus “pertaining to a sibyl”; see origin at sibyl, -ine¹

Also si·byl·ic, si·byl·lic [si-bil-ik]. /sɪˈbɪl ɪk/.

Words Nearby sibylline

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use sibylline in a sentence

It is reported that a woman called Amalthæa, from a foreign country, came to Tarquin the Proud to sell nine sibylline books.
The Mysteries of All Nations | James Grant
The door opened, and Frulein's head appeared, solemn and sibylline, with tears shining behind her spectacles.
The Devourers | Annie Vivanti Chartres
The sibylline volume of man's history is open before us, and every page of it is written in blood or tears.
A Letter on Shakspere's Authorship of The Two Noble Kinsmen | William Spalding
Time is like the sibylline leaves, getting more precious the less there remains of it.
George Eliot's Life, Vol. I (of 3) | George Eliot
The thoughts of these men are like the sibylline leaves, profound but lost.
Soliloquies in England | George Santayana

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