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crystal-gazing

crystal-gazing

9.9
Predicting the future by looking into a crystal ball or guessing about the future without real proof
  • noun
  • /ˈkrɪstlˌɡeɪzɪŋ/
translation icon : adivinación
  • Some people dismiss economic forecasts as nothing more than crystal-gazing.

Examples

  • The old woman was famous for her crystal-gazing abilities at the county fair.

  • His business plan consisted mainly of crystal-gazing, not concrete steps.

  • Many people enjoy crystal-gazing for fun.

  • Is crystal-gazing a legitimate practice?

  • Some investors believe that predicting market trends is just crystal-gazing without any solid evidence.

  • The team's session felt like crystal-gazing, as they spent hours theorizing but had no actionable plans.

  • Critics often label wildly optimistic predictions as crystal-gazing rather than based on real data.

Synonyms

wishful thinking
vscrystal-gazing
  • Informal
45 4.1

Believing something you want will happen even though it is unlikely

adds a ritual, visual prediction practice rather than mere hopeful belief
divination
vscrystal-gazing
8 9.9

The act of trying to find the future using magic or signs

focuses on one specific visual method rather than many techniques
prognostication
vscrystal-gazing
8 9.3

A statement about what will happen in the future

leans toward speculative vision rather than analytical or varied methods
foretelling
vscrystal-gazing
1 6.8

To say what will happen in the future

is more ritual and image based than a plain future statement
crystal gazing
vscrystal-gazing
9.9

An act of looking into a crystal ball to try to see the future or distant events

is the hyphenated written form rather than the spaced form
soothsaying
vscrystal-gazing
  • Archaic
9.9

Saying what will happen in the future using signs or magic

is narrower, naming a single specialized visual practice
vaticination
vscrystal-gazing
  • Archaic
9.9

A prediction of future events said to come from a god

is more about a human visual technique than divine inspiration

Antonyms

161 2.8

To do something to solve a problem or make a change

How Supernatural

prophecy
142 6.2
crystal-gazing
9.9

Surface Forms

Morphology

crystal-gazing = crystal + gaze (transparent) = crystal + gaze + ing

The word is a straightforward compound of 'crystal' + 'gaze' (with the gerundive suffix '-ing'), so its meaning is directly derived from looking into a crystal.

Etymology

Crystal-gazing comes from the old practice of looking into a clear 'crystal' ball and gazing, or staring, to 'see the future'. So it now means predicting the future and also making guesses or plans without taking real action.