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Synonyms

soothsay

American  
[sooth-say] / ˈsuθˌseɪ /

verb (used without object)

soothsaid, soothsaying
  1. to foretell events; predict.


soothsay British  
/ ˈsuːθˌseɪ /

verb

  1. (intr) to predict the future

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms


Etymology

Origin of soothsay

First recorded in 1600–10; back formation from soothsayer


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.

See Examples For:

But, he added, the ability to soothsay where a young man is going to be five years from now requires the scout to dig even deeper.

From Washington Times ● Mar. 7, 2016

A regular monthly column, for example, is called "Haruspex," for the Roman soothsay ers who divined the future by poking through the entrails of sacrificial animals.

From Time Magazine Archive

Bogun looked into the foaming water on the wheel as if he wished himself to soothsay.

From With Fire and Sword An Historical Novel of Poland and Russia. by Henryk Sienkiewicz

“Thou must be wealthy and art bountiful, so it is worth while to soothsay for thee.”

From The Pharaoh and the Priest An Historical Novel of Ancient Egypt by Alexander Glovatski

"Thou must be wealthy and art bountiful, so it is worth while to soothsay for thee."

From The Pharaoh and the Priest An Historical Novel of Ancient Egypt by Jeremiah Curtin

At least this is definitive proof that The Post doesn’t pay me for soothsaying.

From Washington Post ● Dec. 22, 2017

What Mr. Donovan’s own extensive research about fortunetelling left him with was the feeling that predicting the future required developing certain powers, but not the kind that involve actual soothsaying.

From New York Times ● Nov. 25, 2016

Honestly, there was so much loudmouthed soothsaying that it was hard to tell who was saying what.

From The New Yorker ● Mar. 21, 2016

Much as the global financial crisis tripped up economists in 2008, so too has the presidential campaign made a mockery of political soothsaying.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 17, 2016

“First—and I mean no disrespect to her soothsaying abilities—but I feel it is far from certain that Madame Ionesco will truly be able to summon the shade of Edward Ashton. Do you agree?”

From "The Unseen Guest" by Maryrose Wood

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