Prognosticate vs Surmise - What's the difference?
prognosticate | surmise | Related terms |
To predict or forecast, especially through the application of skill.
To presage, betoken.
And constant stars in them I read such art
As 'Truth and beauty shall together thrive,
If from thyself, to store thou wouldst convert';
Or else of thee this I prognosticate :
'Thy end is truth's and beauty's doom and date.' * *: ...to-morrow I intend lengthening the night till afternoon. I prognosticate for myself an obstinate cold, at least. * 1915 — , Thought, imagination, or conjecture, which may be based upon feeble or scanty evidence; suspicion; guess.
* Jonathan Swift
* 1919 ,
Reflection; thought; posit.
To conjecture, to opine or to posit with contestable premises.
Prognosticate is a related term of surmise.
As verbs the difference between prognosticate and surmise
is that prognosticate is to predict or forecast, especially through the application of skill while surmise is .prognosticate
English
Verb
(prognosticat)- Examining the tea-leaves, she prognosticated dark days ahead.
- The bluebells may prognosticate an early spring this year.
Quotations
{{timeline, 1500s=1598, 1800s=1847, 1900s=1915}} * 1598 — *: But from thine eyes my knowledge I derive,And constant stars in them I read such art
As 'Truth and beauty shall together thrive,
If from thyself, to store thou wouldst convert';
Or else of thee this I prognosticate :
'Thy end is truth's and beauty's doom and date.' * *: ...to-morrow I intend lengthening the night till afternoon. I prognosticate for myself an obstinate cold, at least. * 1915 — ,
Voyage Outch. 2 *: All old people and many sick people were drawn, were it only for a foot or two, into the open air, and prognosticated pleasant things about the course of the world.
Synonyms
* presage, prophesy, foretellsurmise
English
Noun
(en noun)- surmises of jealousy or of envy
- No man ought to be charged with principles he actually disowns, unless his practices contradict his profession; not upon small surmises .
- The meeting had been devoid of incident. No word had been said to give me anything to think about, and any surmises I might make were unwarranted. I was intrigued.
- (Shakespeare)