sibylline
Mysteriously predicting futures
Sibylline means mysteriously prophetic or obscurely oracular, like the utterances of the ancient sibyls—women believed to channel divine prophecy.
The word describes statements that seem to foretell the future but in cryptic, ambiguous terms: Her sibylline warnings proved accurate only in hindsight.
Extended use covers anything darkly enigmatic or deliberately obscure: a sibylline smile, sibylline pronouncements from the chairman.
Puzzling and obscure
- obscureUnknown to most
- ambiguousHaving multiple interpretations
- inscrutableImpossible to understand
- veiledConcealed or obscured
arcane · esoteric · opaque · impenetrable · indecipherable · abstruse · hidden · mysterious
Foretelling of future events
- divinationForetelling through mystical means
- foretellingAnnouncing future events
- predictionForecast of coming events
- prognosticationForetelling future events
presage · augury · omens · premonition · portent · harbinger · forewarning · foresight
Greek prophetic sanctuary
- priestessFemale religious officiant
- oracleAuthoritative wisdom source
- templeSacred worship structure
- antiquityGreat age, ancient era
Greco-Roman · Etruscan · parchments · inscriptions · mythology · Virgil · Aeneid · Apollo
enigmatic
Puzzling and obscure
- obscureUnknown to most
- ambiguousHaving multiple interpretations
- inscrutableImpossible to understand
veiled · arcane · esoteric · opaque · impenetrable · indecipherable · abstruse · hidden · mysterious · riddling
prophecy
Foretelling of future events
- divinationForetelling through mystical means
- foretellingAnnouncing future events
- predictionForecast of coming events
prognostication · presage · augury · omens · premonition · portent · harbinger · forewarning · foresight · clairvoyance
Delphi
Greek prophetic sanctuary
antiquity · Greco-Roman · Etruscan · parchments · inscriptions · mythology · Virgil · Aeneid · Apollo · tripod
sibyllineclear
Without obstruction or fog
straightforward · understandable · plainspoken · explicit · transparent
sibyllinemundane
Commonplace, lacking excitement
prosaic · unvisionary · uninspired · earthly · secular
sibyllineexoteric
Suitable for outsiders
accessible · open · demystified · transparent · public
- Sibylline BooksRoman prophetic text collection