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Dictionary

Words, grammatical forms and meanings linked to the ontology.

oracular en · ADJ

Pronunciation

  • /ɒɹˈæk.juː.lə/ (UK)
  • /ɔːˈɹæk.juː.lə/ (UK)
  • /ɔˈɹæk.ju.lɚ/ (US)
  • /ɔˈɹæk.jə.lɚ/ (US)
  • (Southern-England) audio

Etymology

From Middle French oraculaire.

Meanings

  1. Of or relating to an oracle.
    • In some of the Hebrides they attributed the same oracular power to a large black stone by the sea-shore, which they approached with certain solemnities, and considered the first fancy which came into their own minds, after they did so, to be the undoubted dictate of the tutelar deity of the stone, and, as such, to be, if possible, punctually complied with. 1810, Walter Scott, “(please specify the canto number or page)”, in The Lady of the Lake; […], Edinburgh: […] [James Ballantyne and Co.] for John Ballantyne and Co.; London: Longman, Hurst, Rees, and Orme, and William Miller, →OCLC, (please specify the stanza number):
    • Ferguson's sin consisted in his oracular 'unmasking' of a 'second-rate sort of society, full of second rate citizens, pursuing comparatively worthless objects.' 2006, Lisa Hill, The Passionate Society: the social, political and moral thought of Adam Ferguson:
  2. Prophetic, foretelling the future.
    • It was one of those dire oracular pronouncements that Marko made from time to time, which were afterwards spread from mouth to mouth among the Serbs. 1963, “Chapter 26”, in Joseph Hitrec, transl., Bosnian Chronicle, New York: Arcade, translation of original by Ivo Andrić, published 1993, page 402:
    • And that slaughter to the Nation / Shall steam up like inspiration, / Eloquent, oracular; / A volcano heard afar. 1819 (date written), Percy Bysshe Shelley, The Masque of Anarchy. A Poem. […], London: Edward Moxon […], published 1832, →OCLC:
  3. Wise, authoritative.
    • If this is the AI age, then we’re living in broken times. Nevertheless, Sam Altman has called ChatGPT an “oracular system that can sort of do anything within reason” and last week proclaimed that OpenAI has “built systems that are smarter than people in many ways.” 2025 June 18, Matteo Wong, quoting Sam Altman, “The Entire Internet Is Reverting to Beta”, in The Atlantic:
    • My Lord Chatham, whose wisdom his party in those days used to call superhuman, raised his oracular voice in the House of Peers against the American contest; 1844 January–December, W[illiam] M[akepeace] Thackeray, “The Memoirs of Barry Lyndon, Esq. [The Luck of Barry Lyndon.]”, in Miscellanies: Prose and Verse, volume III, London: Bradbury and Evans, […], published 1856, →OCLC:
  4. Ambiguous, hard to interpret.
    • This utterance was admirably oracular, being susceptible of cogent quotation by both sides[…] 1895, Andrew Dickson White, History of the Warfare of Science with Theology in Christendom:
    • Nothing offended me but that lisping Miss Haughton, whose every speech is inarticulately oracular. 1754, Horace Walpole, letter to John Chute:

Deriveds

oracularness · oracularly · oracularity

Relateds

oracle

Translations (30)

de orakelmäßig (prophetic, foretelling the future) · el μαντικός (of or relating to an oracle) · ru пророческий (prophetic, foretelling the future) · nl orakelachtig (of or relating to an oracle) · fi oraakkelimainen (ambiguous, hard to interpret) · es oracular (of or relating to an oracle) · hy առեղծվածային (ambiguous, hard to interpret) · nl raadselachtig (ambiguous, hard to interpret) · el αινιγματικός (ambiguous, hard to interpret) · pt oracular (prophetic, foretelling the future) · de orakelhaft (of or relating to an oracle) · dsb zwěšćelowarski (prophetic, foretelling the future) · de orakelhaft (prophetic, foretelling the future) · fi oraakkelimainen (of or relating to an oracle) · el προφητικός (prophetic, foretelling the future) · ru двусмы́сленный (ambiguous, hard to interpret) · nl profetisch (prophetic, foretelling the future) · bg двусмислен (ambiguous, hard to interpret) · grc χρηστήριος (prophetic, foretelling the future) · fi oraakkelimainen (prophetic, foretelling the future) · fr oraculaire (of or relating to an oracle) · de orakelmäßig (of or relating to an oracle) · hy հանելուկային (ambiguous, hard to interpret) · bg пророчески (prophetic, foretelling the future) · pt oracular (of or relating to an oracle) · el αμφίσημος (ambiguous, hard to interpret) · ca oracular (of or relating to an oracle) · ru ве́щий (prophetic, foretelling the future) · ru зага́дочный (ambiguous, hard to interpret) · hy մարգարեական (prophetic, foretelling the future)