divine

[dih-vahyn]

adjective

diviner, divinest 

1. of or relating to a god, especially the Supreme Being.

2. addressed, appropriated, or devoted to God or a god; religious; sacred.

   divine worship.

3. proceeding from God or a god.

   divine laws;

   divine guidance.

4. godlike; characteristic of or befitting a deity.

   divine magnanimity.

5. heavenly; celestial.

   the divine kingdom.

   Antonyms: mundane, worldly

6. extremely good; unusually lovely.

   He has the most divine tenor voice.

7. being a god; being God.

   Zeus, Hera, and other divine beings in Greek mythology.

8. of superhuman or surpassing excellence.

   Beauty is divine.

9. Obsolete.,  of or relating to divinity or theology.

noun

1. a theologian; scholar in religion.

2. a priest or member of the clergy.

3. the Divine,

   1. God.

   2. (sometimes lowercase),  the spiritual aspect of humans; the group of attributes and qualities of humankind regarded as godly or godlike.

verb (used with object)

divined, divining 

1. to discover or declare (something obscure or in the future) by divination; prophesy.

   Synonyms: forecast, foresee, predict, foretell

2. to discover (water, metal, etc.) by means of a divining rod.

3. to perceive by intuition or insight; conjecture.

   She divined personal details about her customers based on their clothing and accents.

   It was not difficult to divine his true intent.

   Synonyms: understand, discern

4. Archaic.,  to portend.

verb (used without object)

divined, divining 

1. to use or practice divination; prophesy.

   Synonyms: forecast, foresee, predict, foretell

2. to have perception by intuition or insight; conjecture.

   Synonyms: understand, discern

divine

/ dɪˈvaɪn /

adjective

1. of, relating to, or characterizing God or a deity

2. godlike

3. of, relating to, or associated with religion or worship

   the divine liturgy

4. of supreme excellence or worth

5. informal,  splendid; perfect

noun

1. (often capital) another term for God

2. a priest, esp one learned in theology

verb

1. to perceive or understand (something) by intuition or insight

2. to conjecture (something); guess

3. to discern (a hidden or future reality) as though by supernatural power

4. (tr) to search for (underground supplies of water, metal, etc) using a divining rod

Other Word Forms

• divinely adverb
• divinable adjective
• divineness noun
• diviner noun
• half-divine adjective
• half-divinely adverb
• predivinable adjective
• pseudodivine adjective
• subdivine adjective
• subdivinely adverb
• subdivineness noun
• superdivine adjective
• undivinable adjective
• undivined adjective
• undivining adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of divine¹

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English divin(e), devin(e), from Old French devin(e), Latin dīvīnus, equivalent to dīv(us) “god” + -īnus -ine ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of divine¹

C14: from Latin dīvīnus, from dīvus a god; related to deus a god

Example Sentences

“Here we are again, not talking, and it feels like a beautiful nightmare. ... It felt scary. It felt divine. It felt bigger than us.”

From Los Angeles Times

The call from Georgia Southern, in retrospect, felt like divine intervention.

From Los Angeles Times

It was dubbed Operation Excalibur, in honor of the legendary sword of King Arthur that granted him divine right to rule, a point also included in court documents.

From Los Angeles Times

“He will be profoundly missed, yet his aura, energy, divine presence, and timeless wisdom live on in all those he touched and transformed.”

From Los Angeles Times

But for Scott — whose bond with Dicker and Harris runs deeper than football — staying in L.A. felt like divine intervention.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• angelic 
• celestial 
• eternal 
• heavenly 
• holy 
• mystical 
• religious 
• sacred 
• spiritual 
• supernatural 
• transcendent 
• wonderful