sibyl

noun

Definition of sibylnext
as in prophetess

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Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of sibyl The artist’s ceiling for the Sistine Chapel had included 20 nude males as supporting figures above the prophets and sibyls. — Virginia Raguin, The Conversation, 19 Feb. 2026 Sherman has been the sibyl of such proliferating confusions, toying with representation’s integrity and the boundaries of identity for more than four decades. — Nancy Princenthal, New York Times, 24 Jan. 2024 It was deemed a line straight to God — staggering, the voice of an enchantress, a sibyl, a siren. — Washington Post, 12 May 2021 There’s the Roman emperor Augustus and a sibyl in a 1435 painting by Konrad Witz. — Brian T. Allen, National Review, 20 July 2019
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sibyl
  1. prophetess
  2. seer
  3. soothsayer
  4. wisewoman
  5. diviner
  6. oracle
  7. fortune-teller
Noun
  • Brown, a debut novelist and medieval scholar, renders Elizabeth’s rise from impoverished servant to popular prophetess in admirably human and complex terms.
    — Elizabeth Toohey, Christian Science Monitor, 14 Apr. 2026
  • Positioning Robin as an unheeded prophetess and an eventual participant in Ethan’s undoing is a smart way to explore the sexism of the media world at the time.
    — Jesse Green, New York Times, 6 Feb. 2024
Definition of prophetess
Noun
  • This overarching label encompassed Anabaptists, Baptists, Brownists, Levelers, Antinomians, Presbyterians, Ranters and many of the highly individual prophets and seers of 1640s Britain.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 28 Sep. 2026
  • Not in seers, not in sibyls, not in spirits from the great beyond.
    — Raven Brunner, PEOPLE, 30 June 2026
Definition of seer
Noun
  • The pricing of the iPhone Duo and Apple's other new devices was reasonable and below what many tech soothsayers had predicted.
    — Mike Snider, USA Today, 9 Sep. 2026
  • Pollsters, the modern equivalent of soothsayers, are increasingly wrong.
    — Cal Thomas, Arkansas Online, 8 Sep. 2026
Definition of soothsayer
Noun
  • Not everyone can labor in a cabin with the wisewoman of their choosing.
    — Jennifer Block, Longreads, 10 Mar. 2020
Definition of wisewoman
Noun
  • Ancient Chinese scholars made records of solar eclipses, and diviners made prophecies during these auspicious events.
    — Claire Cameron, Scientific American, 6 Aug. 2026
  • While often presented as the act of using beauty practices to manifest your desires, diviner and spiritual wellness teacher Tatianna Tarot would caution against getting too attached to semantics.
    — Essence, Essence, 23 Nov. 2025
Definition of diviner
Noun
  • Data is ultimately just a reflection of the past, not an oracle for what should come next.
    — David Farbman, Forbes.com, 1 Oct. 2026
  • For example, the Ram Shalaka oracle is based on the Hindu scripture Ramcharitmanas, a 16th-century retelling of the ancient Indian epic Ramayana.
    — Ambuj Tewari, The Conversation, 29 Sep. 2026
Definition of oracle
Noun
  • The first teaser for the film lays out that mission, with Gail speaking with a fortune teller who knows way too well the specifics of Gail’s situation and sets her on her path forward.
    — Brian Welk, IndieWire, 24 Apr. 2026
  • Toombs is best known today as the face of fortune teller Madame Leota inside the crystal ball in the Haunted Mansion’s seance circle at Disneyland.
    — Brady MacDonald, Oc Register, 23 Apr. 2026
Definition of fortune-teller

Browse Nearby Words

siblings
sibyl
sibyls
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Cite this Entry

“Sibyl.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sibyl. Accessed 10 Oct. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on sibyl

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about sibyl

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