fortunetellers
Predictors of fate
Fortunetellers are people who claim to predict the future, typically for payment.
They may use cards, palm reading, crystal balls, or other methods to divine what lies ahead.
The term often carries skeptical connotations—suggesting theatrical performance rather than genuine insight: The fortuneteller at the carnival told me I'd meet a tall stranger.
Claimed mind readers
- clairvoyantsThose claiming supernatural perception
- seersThose claiming foresight
- crystal ballFortune-teller's viewing sphere
- tarotDivination card set
divination · prophecy · visions · spirits · occult · supernatural · mediums · soothsayers
Reading hands for fortunes
- astrologyDivination by celestial positions
- I ChingChinese divination classic
- runesOld Germanic script
- tea leavesDried plant for steeping
cowrie shells · feng shui · numerology · zodiac · horoscope · birth chart · geomancy · scrying
Traveling amusement attraction
- fairgroundOutdoor amusement venue
- boardwalkPlanked waterfront pathway
- boothTemporary enclosed compartment
- tentPortable fabric shelter
neon sign · costume · turban · hoop earrings · mysterious · theatrical · novelty · party
Intentional criminal trickery
- charlatanFaker claiming false expertise
- scamDishonest money-making scheme
- cold readingGleaning information through shrewd observation
- hoaxDeliberate deception for effect
deception · gullible · trickery · exploitation · debunked · pseudoscience · manipulation · con artist
psychics
Claimed mind readers
- clairvoyantsThose claiming supernatural perception
- seersThose claiming foresight
- crystal ballFortune-teller's viewing sphere
tarot · divination · prophecy · visions · spirits · occult · supernatural · mediums · soothsayers · oracle
palmistry
Reading hands for fortunes
tea leaves · cowrie shells · feng shui · numerology · zodiac · horoscope · birth chart · geomancy · scrying · augury
carnival
Traveling amusement attraction
- fairgroundOutdoor amusement venue
- boardwalkPlanked waterfront pathway
- boothTemporary enclosed compartment
tent · neon sign · costume · turban · hoop earrings · mysterious · theatrical · novelty · party · amusement
fraud
Intentional criminal trickery
- charlatanFaker claiming false expertise
- scamDishonest money-making scheme
- cold readingGleaning information through shrewd observation
hoax · deception · gullible · trickery · exploitation · debunked · pseudoscience · manipulation · con artist · skeptic
fortunetellersscientists
Systematic knowledge seekers
empiricists · prophets · statisticians · actuaries · skeptics
fortunetellershistorians
Scholars of the past
chroniclers · archivists · biographers · genealogists · archaeologists