1
: resembling an oracle (as in solemnity of delivery)2
: of, relating to, or being an oracle
Did you know?When the ancient Greeks had questions or problems, they would turn to the gods for answers by consulting an oracle, a person through whom the gods communicated, usually in the form of cryptic verse. (Oracle also referred to the god's answer or to the shrine that worshippers approached when seeking advice; the word's root is the Latin verb orare, which means "to speak.") English speakers today can use oracle to simply refer to an authoritative pronouncement or to a person who makes such pronouncements—for example, "a designer who is an oracle of fashion." And the related adjective oracular is used in similar contexts: "a designer who is an oracular voice of fashion."
Choose the Right Synonym for oracular
exercised dictatorial control over the office
magisterial stresses assumption or use of prerogatives appropriate to a magistrate or schoolmaster in forcing acceptance of one's opinions.
the magisterial tone of his pronouncements
dogmatic implies being unduly and offensively positive in laying down principles and expressing opinions.
dogmatic about what is art and what is not
doctrinaire implies a disposition to follow abstract theories in framing laws or policies affecting people.
a doctrinaire approach to improving the economy
oracular implies the manner of one who delivers opinions in cryptic phrases or with pompous dogmatism.
a designer who is the oracular voice of fashion
Examples of oracular in a Sentence Recent Examples on the Web Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback. Despite the oracular hubris of the genetic-screening vanguard, the story a parent wants has only one primary source, one reliable narrator. —Jessica Winter, New Yorker, 21 Apr. 2025 Grade’s novels aren’t oracular, the way the section on postwar Vilna in his memoir was. —Judith Shulevitz, The Atlantic, 16 Mar. 2025 Lynch plays Cole as a secular prophet, a grand and monumental presence dispensing wisdom and judgment with a self-deprecating yet oracular intensity. —Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 17 Jan. 2025 With each passing year, Michaels has added to his list of oracular pronouncements. —Susan Morrison, The New Yorker, 13 Jan. 2025 See All Example Sentences for oracular Word HistoryFirst Known Use
1631, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Time Traveler
The first known use of oracular was in 1631 Cite this Entry“Oracular.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/oracular. Accessed 10 May. 2025.
Last Updated: 29 Apr 2025 - Updated example sentencesLove words? Need even more definitions?
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