precognition: meaning, definition, pronunciation and examples
C1Formal, Academic, Technical (Parapsychology)
Quick answer
What does “precognition” mean?
The supposed ability to perceive or know about future events before they happen, through extrasensory means.
Audio
Pronunciation
Definition
Meaning and Definition
The supposed ability to perceive or know about future events before they happen, through extrasensory means.
Knowledge of a future event, especially through paranormal or psychic perception; in legal contexts, sometimes used to refer to prior knowledge of facts.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
No significant spelling or usage differences. The concept is discussed similarly in both varieties.
Connotations
Slightly more associated with spiritualist traditions in UK historical context; in the US, often linked more with New Age or psychic phenomena.
Frequency
Equally low-frequency in both varieties, confined to specific discourses.
Grammar
How to Use “precognition” in a Sentence
to have precognition of [something]precognition that [clause]precognition about [something]Vocabulary
Collocations
Examples
Examples of “precognition” in a Sentence
verb
British English
- The study aimed to find individuals who could genuinely precognise major events.
- She claimed to precognise the winner of the race.
American English
- The research tested if anyone could precognize the randomly selected images.
- He said he could precognize natural disasters.
adverb
British English
- The event was perceived precognitively by several witnesses.
- She seemed to know precognitively what would happen.
American English
- The information was gained precognitively, not through inference.
- He acted precognitively to avoid the danger.
adjective
British English
- She had a precognitive dream that troubled her for weeks.
- The experiment was designed to test precognitive abilities.
American English
- He reported a precognitive vision of the fire.
- There is no scientific consensus on precognitive phenomena.
Usage
Meaning in Context
Business
Virtually never used. Might appear metaphorically in high-risk strategy discussions: 'His decision seemed based on market precognition.'
Academic
Used in parapsychology, psychology, philosophy of mind, and literary criticism discussing prophetic themes.
Everyday
Rare. Used when discussing psychic phenomena or in speculative conversation about the future.
Technical
Specific term in parapsychology for a type of extrasensory perception (ESP) involving future events.
Vocabulary
Synonyms of “precognition”
Strong
Watch out
Common Mistakes When Using “precognition”
- Using 'precognition' to mean a well-reasoned forecast (e.g., 'The economist's precognition was accurate').
- Misspelling as 'pre-cognition' (hyphen is generally not used in modern English).
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
No. Deja vu is the feeling that a current experience has happened before. Precognition is specifically about knowing a *future* event before it occurs.
Rarely and usually metaphorically. Its core meaning is paranormal. For rational prediction, use 'foresight', 'forecast', or 'prediction'.
A premonition is often a vague feeling of foreboding about a future event. Precognition implies clearer, more specific knowledge and is a more formal, technical term.
Yes, though rare. 'Precognise' (UK) / 'precognize' (US) and the adjective 'precognitive' are derived forms.
The supposed ability to perceive or know about future events before they happen, through extrasensory means.
Precognition is usually formal, academic, technical (parapsychology) in register.
Precognition: in British English it is pronounced /ˌpriːkɒɡˈnɪʃ(ə)n/, and in American English it is pronounced /ˌpriːkɑːɡˈnɪʃ(ə)n/. Tap the audio buttons above to hear it.
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “A flash of precognition”
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Think: PRE-COGNITION. PRE = before. COGNITION = knowing. So, knowing before it happens.
Conceptual Metaphor
THE FUTURE IS A LANDSCAPE THAT CAN BE SEEN (e.g., 'She had a clear vision of the accident beforehand.')
Practice
Quiz
In which field is 'precognition' a technical term?