soothsayer

[ sooth-sey-er ]

/ ˈsuθˌseɪ ər /

Save This Word!

See synonyms for soothsayer on Thesaurus.com

noun

a person who professes to foretell events.

QUIZ

WILL YOU SAIL OR STUMBLE ON THESE GRAMMAR QUESTIONS?

Smoothly step over to these common grammar mistakes that trip many people up. Good luck!

Question 1 of 7

Fill in the blank: I can’t figure out _____ gave me this gift.

who

whom

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of soothsayer

First recorded in 1300–50, soothsayer is from the Middle English word sothseyere, sothseyer. See sooth, say¹, -er¹

Words nearby soothsayer

sooth, soothe, soothfast, soothing, soothsay, soothsayer, soothsaying, sooty, sooty blotch, sooty grouse, sooty mold

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use soothsayer in a sentence

Plenty of social media soothsayers are claiming that no one will want to go back to theaters now that they’re used to streaming big new releases at home.
This Summer, We’re Going to Go to the Movies More—and Love It More|Stephanie Zacharek|May 12, 2021|Time
There’s a moment in Act I of Macbeth when Banquo, upon meeting the soothsayer witches, speaks, of, gasp, the B-word.
The cloud of impeachment hangs over the markets—even Bitcoin is sinking|Bernhard Warner|January 11, 2021|Fortune
No wonder they were often considered bad omens: no soothsayer could tell when one might appear.
Comet Surfing on a Rocket|Matthew R. Francis|August 10, 2014|DAILY BEAST
It's at a time like this that Germans yearn most for Paul the Octopus, the great mollusk soothsayer for Germany.
The Amazing Tale of Paul the Psychic Octopus: Germany’s World Cup Soothsayer|Emily Shire|July 12, 2014|DAILY BEAST

A soothsayer warned Julius Caesar about the Ides of March—a catastrophe looming in the middle of the month.
Memorial Days After Mourning Has Passed|Alex Horton|May 25, 2014|DAILY BEAST
But soothsayer Simon Cowell, who created and judges the show, saw the future.
One Direction Is a Boy Band That Proves You Can Be Both Famous and Unknown|Kevin Fallon|August 28, 2013|DAILY BEAST
The italicized phrase isn't exactly a hallmark of the sort of hubristic soothsayer Abrams seems to describe.
Abrams and Iran: There He Goes Again|Ali Gharib|October 8, 2012|DAILY BEAST
In the midst of the way there arose a woman of Ireland, that clept herself as a soothsayer.
Irish Witchcraft and Demonology|St. John D. (St. John Drelincourt) Seymour
Last night I dreamed a dream; and it needs no wise man, no cunning soothsayer, to read the interpretation thereof.
Sarchedon|G. J. (George John) Whyte-Melville
Charmian, addressing Alexas in a flattering manner, asked where was the soothsayer he praised so much.
The Mysteries of All Nations|James Grant
Louis received a similar reply from a soothsayer, who had foretold the death of one of his favourites.
Quentin Durward|Sir Walter Scott
Greatly incensed, he arranged for the death of the soothsayer when he should leave the royal presence after an interview.
Quentin Durward|Sir Walter Scott

British Dictionary definitions for soothsayer

soothsayer

/ (ˈsuːθˌseɪə) /

noun

a seer or prophet

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

soothsayer

Origin of soothsayer

Words nearby soothsayer

Words related to soothsayer

How to use soothsayer in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for soothsayer