adjective
sibylline
Foretelling the future.
The reader uses symbolic cards to deliver a sibylline prediction.
Etymology
The source names a prophetess. Sibylline describes the predictive character associated with a sibyl's pronouncements.
In context
Greek prophetic women become Roman state memory. Roman Sibylline authority later becomes part of Christian interpretation, medieval art, Renaissance fresco, and modern imagination.
More examples
- Her sibylline warning comes true when the river floods.
- The poem's sibylline verses predict the fall of an empire.
- He dismissed her sibylline dreams until their predictions came true.
Forms
sibylline
sibyl noun — A woman believed to foretell the future.
Similar words
- prophetic
- Describes foretelling future events without necessarily suggesting an ancient oracle.
- predictive
- Often describes forecasts based on evidence rather than inspired revelation.