Meanings
nounsoothsayer (plural soothsayers)
plural soothsayers · alternative obsolete southsayer
- One who attempts to predict the future, using magic, intuition or intelligence; a diviner.
The doomsday prophet / Whose words have all come true / The naysaying soothsayer / So cynical and blue
2025, Suzanne Vega, Gerry Leonard, “Speakers' Corner”, in Flying with Angels2 more examples
It is a great pleasure to be with you today and to speak to you concerning the future of medicine. In so doing, I do not wish to pose as a soothsayer or crystal gazer.
1951 March, John W. Cline, “The Future of Medicine”, in Northwest Medicine, volume 50, number 3, Portland, Ore.: Northwest Medical Publishing Association, page 165The past twenty years have seen their share of soothsayers ready to predict with conviction one extreme or another of the alternative futures I have presented.
1988, Shoshana Zuboff, In the Age of the Smart Machine, New York: Basic Books, page 7 - A double dart moth (Graphiphora augur).
Synonyms & antonyms
nounsomeone who makes predictions of the future (usually on the basis of special knowledge)
Broader
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Middle Englishsothsaier
- Englishsoothsayer
From Middle English sothsaier, zothziggere, by surface analysis, sooth (“truth”) + sayer.
More words from Middle English
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Ancient Greek μάντις, χρησμῳδός
- μάντις (mántis)one who predicts the future
- χρησμῳδός (khrēsmōidós)one who predicts the future
Arabic عَرَّاف, بَصّار
- عَرَّاف (ʕarrāf)one who predicts the future
- بَصّار (baṣṣār)one who predicts the future
- مُتَنبِّئone who predicts the future
- مُتَكَهِّن (mutakahhin)one who predicts the future
- كاهِن (kāhin)one who tells the truth
Bulgarian предсказател, гадател
- предсказател (predskazatel)one who predicts the future
- гадател (gadatel)one who predicts the future
Catalan endevinaire
- endevinaireone who predicts the future
Chinese Mandarin 預言家 /预言家, 算命家
- 預言家 /预言家 (yùyánjiā)one who predicts the future
- 算命家 (suànmìngjiā)one who predicts the future
Czech věštec
- věštecone who predicts the future
Danish spåmand, seer
- spåmandone who predicts the future
- seerone who predicts the future
Dutch waarzegger, waarzegster
- waarzeggerone who predicts the future
- waarzegsterone who predicts the future
- wittigerone who predicts the future
- toekomstvoorspellerone who predicts the future
- toekomstvoorspelsterone who predicts the future
- profeetone who predicts the future
Finnish ennustaja, totuudenpuhuja
- ennustajaone who predicts the future
- totuudenpuhujaone who tells the truth
French prophète, prophétesse
- prophèteone who predicts the future
- prophétesseone who predicts the future
- devinone who predicts the future
German Seher, Seherin
- Seherone who predicts the future
- Seherinone who predicts the future
- Wahrsagerone who predicts the future
- Wahrsagerinone who predicts the future
- Zeichendeuterone who predicts the future
- Spökenkiekerone who predicts the future
- Hellseherone who predicts the future
Greek μάντις
- μάντις (mántis)one who predicts the future
Hungarian jós
- jósone who predicts the future
Icelandic spámaður, spákona
- spámaðurone who predicts the future
- spákonaone who predicts the future
Irish fáistineach, fáidh
- fáistineachone who predicts the future
- fáidhone who predicts the future
- fáidheadóirone who predicts the future
- mathmharcone who predicts the future
- fear feasaone who predicts the future
- bean feasaone who predicts the future
Italian indovino, indovina
- indovinoone who predicts the future
- indovinaone who predicts the future
Japanese 占い師
- 占い師 (uranaishi)one who predicts the future
Korean 점쟁이
- 점쟁이 (jeomjaeng'i)one who predicts the future
Latin vātēs, python
- vātēsone who predicts the future
- pythonone who predicts the future
- pythonissaone who predicts the future
Norwegian Bokmål spåmann, spåkone
- spåmannone who predicts the future
- spåkoneone who predicts the future
Polish wieszcz, wieszczek
- wieszczone who predicts the future
- wieszczekone who predicts the future
- wieszczkaone who predicts the future
- prorokone who predicts the future
- prorokinione who predicts the future
- prawdomówna osobaone who tells the truth
Portuguese adivinho, adivinha
- adivinhoone who predicts the future
- adivinhaone who predicts the future
Russian проро́к, предсказа́тель
- проро́к (prorók)one who predicts the future
- предсказа́тель (predskazátelʹ)one who predicts the future
- предсказа́тельница (predskazátelʹnica)one who predicts the future
- прови́дец (provídec)one who predicts the future
- прови́дица (provídica)one who predicts the future
- прорица́тель (proricátelʹ)one who predicts the future
- прорица́тельница (proricátelʹnica)one who predicts the future
- вещу́н (veščún)one who predicts the future
- вещу́нья (veščúnʹja)one who predicts the future
Slovak veštec
- veštecone who predicts the future
Spanish adivino, adivina
- adivinoone who predicts the future
- adivinaone who predicts the future
Swedish siare, sierska
- siareone who predicts the future
- sierskaone who predicts the future
- spåmanone who predicts the future
- spåkvinnaone who predicts the future
Turkish falcı, kâhin
- falcıone who predicts the future
- kâhinone who predicts the future
Ukrainian віщу́н, проро́к
- віщу́н (viščún)one who predicts the future
- проро́к (prorók)one who predicts the future
- прови́дець (provýdecʹ)one who predicts the future
- прові́сник (provísnyk)one who predicts the future
Vietnamese thầy bói
- thầy bóione who predicts the future
Welsh daroganwr, daroganwraig
- daroganwrone who predicts the future
- daroganwraigone who predicts the future
Cite this entry
APA
soothsayer. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/soothsayer
MLA
“soothsayer.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/soothsayer. Accessed November 3, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “soothsayer,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/soothsayer.
Source: soothsayer on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.