clairvoyant

1 of 2

adjective

clair·​voy·​ant kler-ˈvȯi-ənt How to pronounce clairvoyant (audio)
1
: having clairvoyance : able to see beyond the range of ordinary perception
claims to be clairvoyant
2
: of or relating to clairvoyance
clairvoyant powers
the clairvoyant revelations of a medium
clairvoyantly adverb

clairvoyant

2 of 2

noun

: one having the power of clairvoyance

Did you know?

The Meaning of Clairvoyant Is Clear

In French, "clairvoyant" literally means "clear-seeing," mentally or optically. The term made a brief appearance in English in the 17th century, as an adjective suggesting a keen sense of perception, but it did not become firmly established in the language until the 19th century. Today we most often apply this adjective to someone who essentially has ESP, an unexplainable ability to know or perceive things that others cannot. (We also now use "clairvoyant" as a noun for a person who has this ability.) But although "clairvoyant" is nearly always used in the ESP sense these days, the allusion to special powers frequently isn't dead serious. ("Are you clairvoyant? How did you know I was going to wear my flamingo shirt?")

Examples of clairvoyant in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Adjective
In it, Dakota Johnson stars as a New York paramedic with clairvoyant powers. Jake Coyle, Quartz, 18 Feb. 2024 The film, directed by SJ Clarkson and starring Dakota Johnson as a clairvoyant paramedic in New York, has as much energy as an employee subjected to an ice breaker during a corporate retreat. Lovia Gyarkye, The Hollywood Reporter, 13 Feb. 2024 Yet another late-night show bites the dust, and Roy Wood Jr. seems more and more clairvoyant for seeking opportunities outside the topical comedy ecosphere. Vulture, 20 Oct. 2023 The near-death experience activates her clairvoyant powers and kicks off the intrigue of the film. Lovia Gyarkye, The Hollywood Reporter, 13 Feb. 2024 Perhaps no writer has been more clairvoyant about our current technological age than Neal Stephenson. Matteo Wong, The Atlantic, 6 Feb. 2024 Johnson’s episode arrives on the heels of her Marvel superhero debut in Madame Web as the clairvoyant Cassandra Webb. Brendan Le, Peoplemag, 28 Jan. 2024 In all her clairvoyant visions, Reynolds’ unifying theme is how religious truths allegedly undergirding our reality have finally come to light, despite the efforts of shadowy elites — including the Vatican and the Illuminati — to cover them up. Miles Klee, Rolling Stone, 17 Jan. 2024 These reports aren’t clairvoyant; all weather forecasts involve a measure of uncertainty. Kevin Purdy, Ars Technica, 13 Oct. 2023
Noun
The movie's villain, another clairvoyant named Ezekiel (played by Tahar Rahim), is trying to kill the girls for unknown reasons. Ariana Yaptangco, Glamour, 15 Feb. 2024 Set in 2003, the film stars Dakota Johnson as Cassandra, a clairvoyant who must lead three teenage girls discovering their own supernatural abilities. J. Kim Murphy, Variety, 29 Jan. 2024 Dakota Johnson and Sydney Sweeney web-sling their way into the Marvel Cinematic Universe in spectacular fashion in S. J. Clarkson’s explosive action movie, which sees the former transform into the titular clairvoyant and the latter as her promising protégé. Radhika Seth, Vogue, 1 Jan. 2024 Madame Web? Johnson plays the titular clairvoyant, with Sweeney as Julia Carpenter, a.k.a. Elizabeth Logan, Glamour, 31 July 2023 Upon finding out the house is haunted, the two enlist the help of a priest (Wilson), a psychic (Tiffany Haddish), a paranormal tour guide (Stanfield), a historian (Danny DeVito) and Curtis’ clairvoyant Madame Leota to expel their new abode of its cursed spirits. Emily St. Martin, Los Angeles Times, 27 June 2023 During the third and fourth centuries ad, when the ancient world was shaken to its core and everything was changing, there were so many astrologers, clairvoyants, and soothsayers that the popes took fright. Olga Tokarczuk, Harper's Magazine, 6 Jan. 2023 Is there a difference between a psychic medium and a clairvoyant? Dallas News, 29 Aug. 2022 Wendell and Wild reunites beloved duo Jordan Peele and Keegan-Michael Key as titular demon brothers Wendell (Key) and Wild (Peele), wreaking havoc and ultimately striking against the prison industrial complex with the help of punk clairvoyant Kat and her new friend, trans artist Raúl. Lindsay Lee Wallace, SELF, 20 Dec. 2022

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'clairvoyant.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

French, from clair clear (from Latin clarus) + voyant, present participle of voir to see, from Latin vidēre — more at wit

First Known Use

Adjective

1844, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

1846, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of clairvoyant was in 1844

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Dictionary Entries Near clairvoyant

Cite this Entry

“Clairvoyant.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/clairvoyant. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

clairvoyant

1 of 2 adjective
clair·​voy·​ant kla(ə)r-ˈvȯi-ənt How to pronounce clairvoyant (audio)
kle(ə)r-
: of, relating to, or having clairvoyance

clairvoyant

2 of 2 noun
: a person who has clairvoyance

Medical Definition

clairvoyant

1 of 2 adjective
clair·​voy·​ant -ənt How to pronounce clairvoyant (audio)
: of or relating to clairvoyance

clairvoyant

2 of 2 noun
: one having the power of clairvoyance
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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