Diviner
noun /dɪˈvaɪnər/ — One who seeks hidden knowledge — of water underground, of futures not yet arrived.
Definition
A person who uses divination to locate water, minerals, or other things hidden underground; also, a person who predicts future events or reveals hidden knowledge through supernatural means.
Beyond the definition
The diviner is a figure who claims a different relationship to the world — one where the hidden can be sensed rather than calculated. Whether the dowsing rod actually works is less interesting than what the diviner's presence tells us: that we still want someone to know what we can't see.
Origin & history
From divine (Latin divinus — of God) + -er (one who). One who accesses the divine — who receives knowledge from above, beyond ordinary human means.
Example sentences
Illustrative sentences for learning, not verified community posts or sourced quotations.
The diviner walked the field with a forked stick, feeling for what lay beneath.
Every organization has its informal diviners — people who somehow know what's about to happen before it's announced.
She was a diviner of moods: she knew when the weather in a room was about to change.
How to use it
This entry uses a noun. Follow the examples for articles and singular or plural forms; not every noun takes “a” or “an.”
Choose “Diviner” when the meaning fits your context: A person who uses divination to locate water, minerals, or other things hidden underground; also, a person who predicts future events or reveals hidden knowledge through supernatural means.
Synonyms
dowser, seer, soothsayer, prophet, oracle
Antonyms
skeptic, empiricist
Related words
Word in the Wild
See how this word appears in life, language and stories.
Illustrative sentences and imagined stories for learning — not verified sightings, interviews, or sourced quotations.
Fictional scene
Naturalist examining rock strata
A naturalist studies a layered sedimentary stone, a fossil, and crystals on a workbench, interpreting the geology.
The naturalist interprets the hidden history and location of minerals within the rocks. This conceptually relates to a diviner, who reveals knowledge about what is hidden beneath the surface.
Image credit: Wordspun · AI-generated conceptual illustration
Questions about this word
What does "Diviner" mean?
Diviner is noun meaning: One who seeks hidden knowledge — of water underground, of futures not yet arrived.. A person who uses divination to locate water, minerals, or other things hidden underground; also, a person who predicts future events or reveals hidden knowledge through supernatural means.
Where does the word "Diviner" come from?
From divine (Latin divinus — of God) + -er (one who). One who accesses the divine — who receives knowledge from above, beyond ordinary human means.