Advertisement

Advertisement

View synonyms for prophet

prophet

[ prof-it ]

noun

  1. a person who speaks for God or a deity, or by divine inspiration.
  2. (in the Old Testament)
    1. a person chosen to speak for God and to guide the people of Israel:

      Moses was the greatest of Old Testament prophets.

    2. (often initial capital letter) one of the Major or Minor Prophets.
    3. one of a band of ecstatic visionaries claiming divine inspiration and, according to popular belief, possessing magical powers.
    4. a person who practices divination.
  3. one of a class of persons in the early church, next in order after the apostles, recognized as inspired to utter special revelations and predictions. 1 Corinthians 12:28.
  4. the Prophet, Muhammad, the founder of Islam.
  5. a person regarded as, or claiming to be, an inspired teacher or leader.
  6. a person who foretells or predicts what is to come:

    a weather prophet; prophets of doom.

  7. a spokesperson of some doctrine, cause, or movement.


Prophet

1

/ ˈprɒfɪt /

noun

  1. the principal designation of Mohammed as the founder of Islam
  2. a name for Joseph Smith as founder of the Mormon Church


prophet

2

/ ˈprɒfɪt /

noun

  1. a person who supposedly speaks by divine inspiration, esp one through whom a divinity expresses his will vatic
  2. a person who predicts the future

    a prophet of doom

  3. a spokesman for a movement, doctrine, etc
  4. Christian Science
    1. a seer in spiritual matters
    2. the vanishing of material sense to give way to the conscious facts of spiritual truth

prophet

  1. Someone who brings a message from God to people. The best-known prophets are those of the Old Testament . Their most frequent themes were true worship of God, upright living, and the coming of the Messiah . They often met with bitter resistance when they spoke against the idol worship and immorality of their people. Among the prophets of the Old Testament were Daniel , Elijah , Isaiah , Jeremiah , Jonah , and Moses . Prophets also appear in the New Testament . Jesus called John the Baptist a prophet; Christians (see also Christian ) consider him a bridge between the prophets of the Old Testament and those of the New Testament. Jesus mentions “true prophets” and “false prophets” — those who present the true message of God and those who present a counterfeit ( see By their fruits ye shall know them and wolves in sheep's clothing ). He himself was considered a prophet in his lifetime ( see A prophet is not without honor save in his own country ) and is still widely revered by non-Christians as a prophet, though not as the Messiah. The New Testament also mentions that some of the early Christians were prophets who spoke inspired messages to their communities.


Discover More

Notes

In general usage, a “prophet” is someone who can foretell the future. The prophets of the Bible (see also Bible ) often made predictions, which confirmed their authority when the predictions came true, but changing the lives of their people was a more central part of their mission.

Discover More

Derived Forms

  • ˈprophetess, noun:feminine
  • ˈprophet-ˌlike, adjective

Discover More

Other Words From

  • prophet·hood noun
  • prophet·less adjective
  • prophet·like adjective

Discover More

Word History and Origins

Origin of prophet1

First recorded in 1150–1200; Middle English prophete, from Late Latin prophēta, from Greek prophḗtēs, equivalent to pro- “before (in time, place, precedence, dignity)” + -phētēs “speaker,” derivative of phánai “to speak”; pro- 2

Discover More

Word History and Origins

Origin of prophet1

C13: from Old French prophète, from Latin prophēta, from Greek prophētēs one who declares the divine will, from pro- ² + phanai to speak

Discover More

Example Sentences

Our text this morning comes from the prophet Isaiah, chapter 58.

From Time

The video shows Warnock saying Wright is “a preacher and prophet.”

To date, prophets of doom have been premature, and though the pace is slowing, the industry continues to dodge death with creative engineering.

King cited prophets from the Bible repeatedly in his “I Have a Dream” speech.

The prophet sees environmental destruction as a problem best addressed by restoring nature to its natural state.

Our duty is to make sure that they realize that the Prophet is not avenged.

“Paradise lies at the feet of mothers,” Erdogan said on Monday, quoting the Prophet Muhammad.

“You are a prophet and you are the bad man,” he says of his skin color.

But so are plenty of histories that try to attack the prophet.

It was the only one, we were told, which follows the way of the Prophet and truly represents Islam.

A glorious vision, in which the prophet's lips are cleansed: he foretelleth the obstinacy of the Jews.

The standard of the Prophet was raised in the bazaar and a fanatical mob rallied round it.

Then Isaias the prophet came to king Ezechias, and said to him: What said these men, and from whence came they to thee?

Form not in my mind such a picture as that of the mighty prophet in his robes being "it."

This is spoken by the prophet in the person of the Jews at the time when, for their sins, they were given up to their enemies.

Advertisement

Related Words

Word of the Day

firkin

[fur-kin ]

Meaning and examples

Start each day with the Word of the Day in your inbox!

By clicking "Sign Up", you are accepting Dictionary.com Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policies.

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement


prophesyprophetess