fortune-teller

IPA/ˈfɔːtʃuːn telə(r)/
IPA/ˈfɔːrtʃən telər/

fortune-teller — noun

1. someone who says they can see or predict what will happen in a person's future,

1.nounB1
Definition

someone who says they can see or predict what will happen in a person's future, often by looking at the lines on their hand, reading special cards, or using a crystal ball

Example

Christopher visited a fortune-teller at the night market to ask about his career.

fortune-teller + at [place / event]

The fortune-teller studied Beatrix's palm and said she would travel overseas soon.

specific method: palm reading

Common collocations
  • consult a fortune-teller
  • visit a fortune-teller
  • fortune-teller + at the fair / night market / temple
Synonyms
  • psychic

    broader term; can refer to anyone with extrasensory perception, not limited to future prediction

  • clairvoyant

    more formal; describes someone who sees visions of future events beyond normal sight

  • palm reader

    more specific; a fortune-teller who specialises in reading the lines on a person's hand

  • soothsayer

    old-fashioned or literary term for someone who predicts the future

Usage Note

Fortune-teller is the everyday term for this role; psychic and clairvoyant are more formal and often imply supernatural abilities beyond future-telling.

Common Mistakes

She went to a fortune hunter to ask about her future.
She went to a fortune-teller to ask about her future.
A fortune hunter is someone seeking money or rich partners, not someone who predicts the future.
The fortune-teller predicted me good luck.
The fortune-teller predicted that I would have good luck.
The verb predict does not take an indirect object; use a that-clause or a direct noun phrase.

2. a machine, device, or website that claims to predict what will happen in a perso

2.nounB2
Definition

a machine, device, or website that claims to predict what will happen in a person's future, usually for entertainment rather than serious belief

Example

The old fortune-teller machine at the arcade prints a slip with your fortune.

fortune-teller machine at the arcade

Sana tried a fortune-teller website that claimed to reveal her future love life.

fortune-teller website

Common collocations
  • fortune-teller machine
  • fortune-teller booth
  • fortune-teller app
  • virtual fortune-teller
Synonyms
  • horoscope

    a written prediction based on star signs, not a person or machine that tells fortunes directly

  • prediction machine

    a descriptive phrase rather than a fixed term; emphasises the mechanical nature

Usage Note

This sense is common for arcade machines, novelty apps, and fairground booths that give playful predictions. It is less common for serious fortune-telling businesses.

Word family

  • fortune-telling
    nounB2
  • fortune-telling
    adjectiveB2
  • fortune
    nounB1
  • tell
    verbA1

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Fortune-teller is the most common everyday term for someone who claims to predict the future, used across informal and neutral registers. A psychic has a broader meaning — it refers to someone with extrasensory perception (ESP) generally, not just future-telling. Clairvoyant is more formal and describes someone who 'sees' future events in visions or mental images. Palm reader is a narrower term: it refers specifically to a fortune-teller who reads the lines on a person's hand, whereas a fortune-teller might use cards, a crystal ball, or other methods. Soothsayer is an old-fashioned, literary word rarely used in modern conversation. In practice, 'I went to a fortune-teller at the night market' sounds natural, while 'I went to a soothsayer' would sound oddly theatrical.

psychic ↗clairvoyant ↗palm reader ↗soothsayer ↗

Etymology

LatinOld EnglishEnglish

Formed by combining fortune (from Latin fortuna, meaning 'chance, luck, fate') with teller (from Old English tellan, meaning 'to count, relate, recount'). The compound fortune-teller appeared in the 16th century, replacing the earlier phrase 'teller of fortunes.' The verb to tell originally meant 'to count' — a fortune-teller was literally someone who 'counted out' or narrated a person's fate.

First known use

1582

1582, in the meaning defined above