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prophet

prophet

39 5.1
A person who predicts the future and warns others
  • noun
  • /ˈprɒfɪt/
translation icon : profeta
  • He's a prophet.
  • false prophet
  • prophet of doom
  • great prophet

Would you be prepared to mock the Prophet Muhammad in jest?

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Examples

  • Sometimes he has functioned primarily as a national prophet, as did Abraham Lincoln.

    Academic text (1996)
  • No need to be a prophet to see what's ahead.

  • You are the most famous prophet in the whole world!

    Fiction book (2002)
  • Only a prophet... or a fool could make such a claim.

  • They'll listen to a prophet.

  • Samuel Orde preached with the zeal of a prophet in the wilderness.

    Fiction book (1991)
  • Many people consider Martin Luther King Jr. to be a great prophet who spoke for justice and equality.

  • The ancient texts describe him as a prophet who foretold events long before they happened.

  • In many cultures, a prophet serves as a spiritual leader and guide for the community.

Synonyms

seer
vsprophet
23 8.0

A person who says they can see the future

is more authoritative and taught to speak for divine sources
oracle
vsprophet
  • Literature
14 8.9

A person who gives wise advice and says what will happen

is focused more on inspired teaching than general wise counsel
soothsayer
vsprophet
  • Archaic
9 9.9

A person who says they can tell the future

is less focused on divine authority and formal teaching
prophetess
vsprophet
5 8.7

A woman who says a god tells her about the future

is the same role but marked by female gender
diviner
vsprophet
3 9.9

A person who says they can learn hidden things or predict the future using spiritual ways

is more about inspired public proclamation than secret methods
revelator
vsprophet
1 9.9

A person who receives messages from a god or spirit and shares them with others

is similar but stresses teaching and public proclamation
prophesier
vsprophet
9.1

A person who predicts future events

is the same inspired authority but uses the main label here
vaticinator
vsprophet
  • Archaic
9.9

A person who says what will happen in the future, often as a job

is similar but also emphasizes inspired teaching

Compounds

prophet of doom
  • Informal
1 8.0

A person who always says bad things will happen

An Old Testament book that tells Daniel's visions and stories in the king's court

9.9

An armed Islamic group in Nigeria that attacks people and causes violence

How Credible

oracle
  • Literature
14 8.9
prophet
39 5.1
seer
23 8.0

Surface Forms

prophet singular
prophets plural

Etymology

Prophet comes from parts pro- 'before' and a root meaning 'to speak'. Think of a prophet as someone who 'speaks before' events, and so the word also means a person who claims to tell the future.