fortune-telling
Reading the cards
Fortune-telling is the practice of predicting someone's future, typically through methods like reading palms, tarot cards, tea leaves, or crystal balls.
The term often carries skeptical connotations—fortune-tellers are associated with carnival booths and storefront psychics rather than genuine prophecy: She dismissed astrology as fortune-telling.
As an adjective: fortune-telling methods, fortune-telling booth.
Forecast of coming events
- omenProphetic indicator
- premonitionAdvance sense of future events
- prognosticationForetelling future events
- foretellingAnnouncing future events
presage · harbinger · portent · augury · revelation · vision · foresight · precognition
Divination card set
- palmistryReading hands for fortunes
- astrologyDivination by celestial positions
- scryingVisionary surface-gazing
- numerologyMystical significance of digits
runes · geomancy · tea-leaves · horoscope · pendulum · dowsing · bibliomancy · chiromancy
One claiming supernatural perception
- mediumMiddle size or state
- clairvoyantOne who perceives beyond senses
- seerOne who envisions futures
- oracleAuthoritative wisdom source
soothsayer · prophet · sibyl · shaman · augur · diviner · spiritualist · channeler
Traveling amusement attraction
- fairgroundOutdoor amusement venue
- boardwalkPlanked waterfront pathway
- parlorFormal room for visitors
- tentPortable fabric shelter
booth · séance · curtains · incense · candles · velvet · mysterious · theatrical
Predetermined course of events
- kismetPreordained future outcome
- karmaSpiritual cause and effect
- providenceDivine protective care
- lotLarge amount or portion
stars · fates · predetermined · written · ordained · serendipity · happenstance · fatalism
prediction
Forecast of coming events
- omenProphetic indicator
- premonitionAdvance sense of future events
- prognosticationForetelling future events
foretelling · presage · harbinger · portent · augury · revelation · vision · foresight · precognition · forewarning
tarot
Divination card set
- palmistryReading hands for fortunes
- astrologyDivination by celestial positions
- scryingVisionary surface-gazing
numerology · runes · geomancy · tea-leaves · horoscope · pendulum · dowsing · bibliomancy · chiromancy
psychic
One claiming supernatural perception
- mediumMiddle size or state
- clairvoyantOne who perceives beyond senses
- seerOne who envisions futures
oracle · soothsayer · prophet · sibyl · shaman · augur · diviner · spiritualist · channeler · mystic
carnival
Traveling amusement attraction
- fairgroundOutdoor amusement venue
- boardwalkPlanked waterfront pathway
- parlorFormal room for visitors
tent · booth · séance · curtains · incense · candles · velvet · mysterious · theatrical · storefront
destiny
Predetermined course of events
- kismetPreordained future outcome
- karmaSpiritual cause and effect
- providenceDivine protective care
lot · stars · fates · predetermined · written · ordained · serendipity · happenstance · fatalism
- divinationdivination, tarot, tarot cards, tarot reading, tarot reader
- fatedestiny, fate, kismet, Moira, fated
- superstitionssuperstition, superstitions, hexes, black cats, broken mirror
- prophecyprophecy, prophet, seer, prophets, prophetess
- psychic abilitiesclairvoyance, ESP, precognition, second sight, sixth sense
- Psychic Powerstelepathy, mind reading, ESP, clairvoyance, psychic
fortune-tellingscience
Systematic study through observation
empiricism · scientific method · data analysis · research · evidence-based reasoning
fortune-tellinghistoriography
Study of history-writing
history · retrospection · chronicle · memoir · archaeology