FromMiddle Frenchoraculaire.
- (UK)IPA(key): /ɒɹˈæk.juː.lə/,/ɔːˈɹæk.juː.lə/
- (US)IPA(key): /ɔˈɹæk.ju.lɚ/,/ɔˈɹæk.jə.lɚ/
oracular
- Of or relating to anoracle.
1810,Walter Scott, “(please specify the canto number or page)”, inThe Lady of the Lake; […], Edinburgh: […] [James Ballantyne and Co.] forJohn Ballantyne and Co.; London:Longman, Hurst, Rees, and Orme, andWilliam Miller,→OCLC,(please specify the stanza number):In some of the Hebrides they attributed the sameoracular 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.
2006, Lisa Hill,The Passionate Society: the social, political and moral thought of Adam Ferguson[1]:Ferguson's sin consisted in hisoracular 'unmasking' of a 'second-rate sort of society, full of second rate citizens, pursuing comparatively worthless objects.'
- Prophetic,foretelling the future.
1963, “Chapter 26”, in Joseph Hitrec, transl.,Bosnian Chronicle, New York: Arcade, translation of original byIvo Andrić, published1993, page402:It was one of those direoracular pronouncements that Marko made from time to time, which were afterwards spread from mouth to mouth among the Serbs.
- Wise,authoritative.
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, […], published1856,→OCLC:My Lord Chatham, whose wisdom his party in those days used to call superhuman, raised hisoracular voice in the House of Peers against the American contest;
2025 June 18, Matteo Wong, quotingSam Altman, “The Entire Internet Is Reverting to Beta”, inThe Atlantic[2]: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.”
- Ambiguous, hard tointerpret.
1754, Horace Walpole,letter to John Chute:Nothing offended me but that lisping Miss Haughton, whose every speech is inarticulatelyoracular.
1895, Andrew Dickson White,History of the Warfare of Science with Theology in Christendom:This utterance was admirablyoracular, being susceptible of cogent quotation by both sides[…]
of or relating to an oracle
prophetic, foretelling the future
ambiguous, hard to interpret
oracular m orf (pluraloraculares)
- (mysticism)oracular(of or relating to an oracle)
- oracular(prophetic; foretelling the future)
Fromoracul +-ar.
oracular m orn (feminine singularoraculară,masculine pluraloraculari,feminine/neuter pluraloraculare)
- oracular
- IPA(key): /oɾakuˈlaɾ/[o.ɾa.kuˈlaɾ]
- Rhymes:-aɾ
- Syllabification:o‧ra‧cu‧lar
oracular m orf (masculine and feminine pluraloraculares)
- oracular
