: having infinite awareness, understanding, and insight
an omniscient author
the narrator seems an omniscient person who tells us about the characters and their relations Ira Konigsberg
2
: possessed of universal or complete knowledge
the omniscient God
omniscientlyadverb
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What is the origin of omniscient?
One who is omniscient literally knows all. The word omniscient combines two Latin roots: omni-, meaning "all" or "universally," and the verb scire, meaning "to know." You will recognize omni- as the prefix that tells all in such words as omnivorous ("eating all" or, in actual use, "eating both plants and animals") and omnipotent ("all-powerful"). Scire likewise has a number of other knowledge-related descendants in English, including conscience, science, and prescience (meaning "foreknowledge").
Example Sentences
Recent Examples on the WebEconomists predisposed to believing that investors are omniscient are puzzled that all businesses don’t adopt LIFO to lower their taxes. Martin Sullivan, Forbes, 21 June 2022 For an American public that had largely accepted the omniscient posture of mainstream political reporters, the book provided a messy but savory view of journalistic sausage making. Alex Traub, New York Times, 6 Mar. 2022 In the Lord of the Rings franchise, the 'Eye of Sauron' is an omniscient, fiery eye belonging to the story's main villain, Sauron. Tristan Bove, Fortune, 7 Apr. 2022 Your films generally don’t rely on omniscient narration. Hua Hsu, The New Yorker, 20 Mar. 2022 In April 2021, Shondaland TV, Shonda Rhimes's production company, tweeted a special message from the show's omniscient narrator and gossip columnist Lady Whistledown. Annie Goldsmith, Town & Country, 25 Mar. 2022 Bulawayo shifts among omniscient narration, first-person plural, oral history and even chapters written as Twitter threads.Washington Post, 6 Mar. 2022 Like a good 19 century omniscient novelist, Butler hops seamlessly among his characters’ points of view while recounting their lives and times.Los Angeles Times, 26 Jan. 2022 Plus, with the lack of her usual omniscient narration throughout most of the episode, fans are starting to wonder: did Rue just die? Milan Polk, Men's Health, 31 Jan. 2022 See More
Word History
Etymology
New Latin omniscient-, omnisciens, back-formation from Medieval Latin omniscientia