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oracular

oracular

1 9.9
Mysterious and hard to understand with hidden meaning
  • adjective
  • /əˈrækjələr/
  • Literature
translation icon : enigmático
  • Her predictions were considered oracular because they often came true in unexpected ways.
  • often oracular

Examples

  • Cortázar sought what he was to describe in the "oracular" words: "not text but texture."

    Academic text (1993)
  • The mysterious message was so oracular that no one could agree on its meaning.

  • But you, you said that this thesis was oracular, that it was ambiguous.

  • The Delphic, the oracular, the mysterious, the secret.

  • And you are on the other side, where the grid breaks into tiny oracular tiles, wafer thin, distorted.

  • I tried to make my expression mirror hers, which was oracular, her skin flushed beneath her tan, bathed in the noon light, and her eyes not blue at all but darker than any I'd ever seen.

    Fiction book (1999)
  • A particularly effective and distinctive feature of these adoption stories is the prominence of remarks that turn out to be oracular, that is, highly significant, unexpected statements that require the parent-in-waiting to tune in to what is truly important or that even accomplish a ritual transformation.

    Academic text (2017)
  • The challenge lay in the other direction, to reassure those leery of a messianic figure with a hazy resume and an oracular verbal style that he nonetheless stood in the mainstream of American political history.

    Academic text (2009)
  • Since William Blake chose to preserve his integrity against the siren song of Hayley's patronage, he provides several insights in his idiosyncratic and often oracular verses.

    Academic text (1993)
  • The ancient scroll contained oracular writings that puzzled scholars for centuries.

Synonyms

enigmatic
vsoracular
27 8.1

Hard to understand and often seems mysterious

is the same idea but with a more prophetic sense
Delphic
vsoracular
  • Formal
1 9.9

Hard to understand because it is mysterious and sounds like it predicts the future

is like that but more generally mysterious than intentionally prophetic
enigmatical
vsoracular
1 9.3

Hard to understand, like a puzzle

is the same in meaning but differs in form or style
sibylline
vsoracular
  • Literature
9.9

Mysterious and hard to understand, like a prophecy

is mysterious and similar but not necessarily prophetic
orphic
vsoracular
  • Literature
9.9

Mysterious and hard to understand, often about deep spiritual ideas

is similar but focuses on hidden knowledge rather than prophecy

Antonyms

1.0

Easy to understand and not confusing

1.0

Easy to see or understand

How Mysterious

cryptic
43 8.1
oracular
  • Literature
1 9.9
mysterious
498 5.1
obscure
28 8.2

Surface Forms

oracular positive

Morphology

oracular = oracle (semi-transparent) = oracle + ar

The word is derived from 'oracle' with the suffix '-ar' forming an adjective, but the exact meaning may not be immediately clear to all learners.

Etymology

Oracular comes from the word oracle, which has the Latin root orare meaning 'to speak'. Oracles often gave short, mysterious answers that were hard to understand, so oracular can mean 'mysterious or difficult to interpret'.