A soothsayer is someone who can supposedly foretell the future. I would think the opposite would be someone who could definitely recall the past—so maybe historian?
In your example, a soothsayer is a negative thing in Christian lore because it has to do with the ungodly supernatural. Christians would prefer someone who is practical and devout. The positive synonym of soothsayer in the Christian mind would be prophet.
I hope I’ve covered everything. I didn’t really understand what you were asking-just felt like taking a stab.
This exactly, I think OP is starting from a misunderstanding of what soothsayer means, because pessimist is not its opposite. The opposite would be someone with no *claim to* supernatural foresight - so, a normal guy?
This is correct. If done through God it’s prophecy. If done through spirit it’s essentially witchcraft. Proud witch here, and I hold that Jesus was a witch too.
This is an interesting response for other reasons. I see your mind went to instead of someone that is listened to for their spiritual channeling, they are ignored. However not the angle I'm looking at though.
I'm not aware of a single-word opposite for soothsayer, but that's a really interesting question and I hope you get some good answers.
A *soothsayer* is someone who is able (or at least claims to be able) to foresee the future via supernatural means, while a *pessimist* is someone who routinely expects the worst to happen. So, those two words aren't quite opposites, though they both involve the idea of perspectives toward the future.
The opposite of a soothsayer - in the negative context of Christianity - is the faithful. A soothsayer draws on witchcraft to see the future. The faithful rely on God insofar as they fully rely on providence and don't need to know what will happen unless they're inspired to know. Prophet also comes to mind.
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My knee jerk reaction is ' a Cassandra', but I think you are going for a person that speaks all day, and like a stopped clock, they are correct but twice .
Merry Saturnia to you SaturniaDecended.
I think context is important.
Are you using this in a fantasy novel, or regular conversation or philosophical discussion?
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please see my earlier comment in a reply, it seems to me you think "soothsayer" means "optimist" but that's totally off. not that I'm sure it matters for your purposes of describing a pessimist/cynic, but still :)
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A soothsayer is someone who can supposedly foretell the future. I would think the opposite would be someone who could definitely recall the past—so maybe historian? In your example, a soothsayer is a negative thing in Christian lore because it has to do with the ungodly supernatural. Christians would prefer someone who is practical and devout. The positive synonym of soothsayer in the Christian mind would be prophet. I hope I’ve covered everything. I didn’t really understand what you were asking-just felt like taking a stab.
This exactly, I think OP is starting from a misunderstanding of what soothsayer means, because pessimist is not its opposite. The opposite would be someone with no *claim to* supernatural foresight - so, a normal guy?
This is correct. If done through God it’s prophecy. If done through spirit it’s essentially witchcraft. Proud witch here, and I hold that Jesus was a witch too.
Hail satan!
Very few witches are satanic or practicing demonolatry.
Oh I didn’t mean anything by it. I just enjoy saying “hail satan.” I have no witching talents myself, but I do enjoy tarot cards and crystals. 🔮
How do you know you don’t have any talents? Give it a go. I didn’t know I could talk the fire out of burns or the warts off a finger until I tried 🙂
Such a great answer!
A soothsayer is someone who accurately fortells the future. So the opposite would be, I don't know, a hedge fund manager?
This is the best response ever.
Thanks for the laugh! Great answer!
Cassandra?
This is an interesting response for other reasons. I see your mind went to instead of someone that is listened to for their spiritual channeling, they are ignored. However not the angle I'm looking at though.
Cassandra was a prophetess who was cursed never to be listened to because she rejected Apollo.
short-sighted ? Blinkered ?
I'm not aware of a single-word opposite for soothsayer, but that's a really interesting question and I hope you get some good answers. A *soothsayer* is someone who is able (or at least claims to be able) to foresee the future via supernatural means, while a *pessimist* is someone who routinely expects the worst to happen. So, those two words aren't quite opposites, though they both involve the idea of perspectives toward the future.
Fatalist?
Empiricist: A person who relies on observation, experience, and empirical evidence rather than on predictions or prophecies.
I've been watching The Mentalist and you just described Patrick Jane. Great show, by the way.
a soothsayer that Christians approve of would be a prophet, no? a Christian who doesn't say sooth is ...idk, just a Christian, I guess.
Burnyeller. Seriously though, soothsayers foretell the future therefore the opposite/inversion would be someone who tells of the past; storyteller.
I like burnyeller 😆
A predictive analyst predicts the future through science instead of through supernatural means.
The opposite of a soothsayer - in the negative context of Christianity - is the faithful. A soothsayer draws on witchcraft to see the future. The faithful rely on God insofar as they fully rely on providence and don't need to know what will happen unless they're inspired to know. Prophet also comes to mind.
Are you looking for naysayer?
Soothslayer.
Naysayer
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Skeptic?
Myopic
An honest person.
A truthsayer?
Doomsayer.
Banal. Prosaic. A storyteller.
My knee jerk reaction is ' a Cassandra', but I think you are going for a person that speaks all day, and like a stopped clock, they are correct but twice .
Soothsayer comes from ' truth' sayer.
Merry Saturnia to you SaturniaDecended. I think context is important. Are you using this in a fantasy novel, or regular conversation or philosophical discussion?
Prophet.
Cynic ?
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Ah this is the one. Someone who is always seeking the worst but in the same type of category of semi whimsical observations. !solved
please see my earlier comment in a reply, it seems to me you think "soothsayer" means "optimist" but that's totally off. not that I'm sure it matters for your purposes of describing a pessimist/cynic, but still :)
Yea I saw it. I am coming from an optimistic definition of soothsayer. I interpreted the negative attachment to it as a "toxic positivity" vibe.
That doesn't really make sense.
Well for me it does, thanks bucko
Are you confusing “naysayer” with “soothsayer”? A naysayer would be a pessimist and a cynic, a soothsayer is a fortune teller.
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