foretell applies to the telling of the coming of a future event by any procedure or any source of information.
seers foretold the calamity
predict commonly implies inference from facts or accepted laws of nature.
astronomers predicted an eclipse
forecast adds the implication of anticipating eventualities and differs from predict in being usually concerned with probabilities rather than certainties.
forecast snow
prophesy connotes inspired or mystic knowledge of the future especially as the fulfilling of divine threats or promises.
prophesying a new messiah
prognosticate is used less often than the other words; it may suggest learned or skilled interpretation, but more often it is simply a colorful substitute for predict or prophesy.
prognosticating the future
Example Sentences
We cannot foretell the future. a 16th-century astrologer who, some claim, accurately foretold 20th-century events
Recent Examples on the WebThe 38-participant show is solid, but doesn’t foretell a significant shift in the sort of artists the facility hosts. Mark Jenkins, Washington Post, 12 Aug. 2022 As good as free textbooks are, the Cengage/McMurry/OpenStax deal may also foretell a big shift in education publishing, which some analysists have characterized as on the brink of collapse pretty much since the advent of the internet. Derek Newton, Forbes, 11 Aug. 2022 Which is a long or short way of telling critics and fans to stop cheering or critiquing a future that none of us can realistically foretell. John Tamny, Forbes, 25 Apr. 2022 Preseasons don’t always foretell the regular season, but the Lakers went winless in theirs.New York Times, 8 Apr. 2022 After Republican Glenn Youngkin won the governorship, commentators dissected the results to foretell the outcome of elections in 2022, 2024 and beyond. Nicole Hemmer, CNN, 17 Feb. 2022 Prokofiev meant for this symphony to capture the mood of a horrendous war not having sapped the spirit of his people at the moment Russia could foretell victory.Los Angeles Times, 9 Jan. 2022 Moiraine, for example, meets up with Min (Kae Alexander), an undercover bartender with the ability to see visions that foretell the future. Randall Colburn, EW.com, 17 Dec. 2021 But whether Sigal’s lab experiments foretell reduced vaccine protection in real life is still uncertain, says Sarah Cobey, an epidemiologist and evolutionary biologist at the University of Chicago. Charles Schmidt, Scientific American, 17 Dec. 2021 See More