Word forms: plural, 3rd person singular presenttense divines, present participle divining, past tense, past participle divined
1. adjective [usually ADJECTIVE noun]
You use divine to describe something that is provided by or relates to a god or goddess.
He suggested that the civil war had been a divine punishment.
...divine inspiration.
divinelyadverb [usually ADVERB -ed]
The law was divinely ordained.
2. countable noun
A divine is a priest who specializes in the study of God and religion.
[old-fashioned]
Synonyms: priest, minister, vicar, reverend More Synonyms of divine
3. graded adjective
People use divine to express their pleasure or enjoyment of something.
[old-fashioned, feelings]
'Isn't it divine?' she said. 'I wish I had the right sort of brooch to lend you forit.'.
Darling how lovely to see you, you look simply divine.
divinelygraded adverb [usually ADVERB adjective]
It smells divinely of orange zest.
4. verb
If you divine something, you discover or learn it by guessing.
[literary]
...the child's ability to divine the needs of its parents and respond to them. [VERB noun]
From this he divined that she did not like him much. [VERB that]
[Also VERB wh]
5. verb
If you divine, you try to find underground supplies of water or minerals, using a special rod or pair of rods.
The only reason I was divining for water was because of the drought. [VERBfor noun]
...a divining rod. [VERB-ing]
[Also VERB]
Synonyms: dowsefor water or minerals, find through dowsing More Synonyms of divine
More Synonyms of divine
divine in British English
(dɪˈvaɪn)
adjective
1.
of, relating to, or characterizing God or a deity
2.
godlike
3.
of, relating to, or associated with religion or worship
the divine liturgy
4.
of supreme excellence or worth
5. informal
splendid; perfect
noun
6. the divine
7.
a priest, esp one learned in theology
verb
8.
to perceive or understand (something) by intuition or insight
9.
to conjecture (something); guess
10.
to discern (a hidden or future reality) as though by supernatural power
11. (transitive)
to search for (underground supplies of water, metal, etc) using a divining rod
Derived forms
divinable (diˈvinable)
adjective
divinely (diˈvinely)
adverb
divineness (diˈvineness)
noun
diviner (diˈviner)
noun
Word origin
C14: from Latin dīvīnus, from dīvus a god; related to deus a god
divine in American English
(dəˈvaɪn)
adjective
1.
of or like God or a god
2.
given or inspired by God; holy; sacred
3.
devoted to God; religious; sacrosanct
4.
having to do with theology
5.
supremely great, good, etc.
6. Informal
very pleasing, attractive, etc.
noun
7.
a member of the clergy
8.
a theologian
verb transitiveWord forms: diˈvined or diˈvining
9.
to prophesy
10.
to guess; conjecture
11.
to find out by intuition
verb intransitive
12.
to engage in divination
13.
to make a conjecture
14.
to use a divining rod
SIMILAR WORDS: ˈholy
Derived forms
divinely (diˈvinely)
adverb
diviner (diˈviner)
noun
Word origin
ME & OFr < L divinus < divus, god, deity
Examples of 'divine' in a sentence
divine
Surely she has no divine right to stay?
The Sun (2016)
He really did need some divine intervention.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
Thank you for your divine love, your eternal support and for being my best friend.
The Sun (2016)
In one, we are objects of and vehicles for the divine love.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
Fans will be on Cloud Nine to see her looking so divine.
The Sun (2016)
But this lifting did not feel like divine intervention, let alone a result of effort, but more like a natural process of revisiting and healing and recovering.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
We have no divine right to win these races.
The Sun (2010)
You try something on and the designer says you look divine.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
They are endowed rather with the magic arts than with the power of the divine name.
Kishlansky, Mark A. (editor) Sources of the West: Readings in Western Civilization, Volume 1: From the Beginningto 1715 (1995)
May he again grant you his divine grace!
Kishlansky, Mark A. (editor) Sources of the West: Readings in Western Civilization, Volume 1: From the Beginningto 1715 (1995)
There is no divine law that says churches have to be undemocratic.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
An important part of the life of the brothers was divine worship.
The Times Literary Supplement (2013)
Sounds like a bit of divine intervention to me.
The Sun (2014)
But no one has a divine right to win it.
The Sun (2012)
Use it on skin and in hair and you will look and smell divine.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
Or simply as a divine oddball?
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
Yet divine right theory was not the dominant approach in Western political theory of this time.
Stearns, Peter N. World History: Patterns of Change and Continuity (1995)
He was known for his many powers, of which his ability to divine the future far surpassed all others.
Barrett, Clive The Gods of Asgard (1989)
There's something divine in her.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
I think she's simply divine.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
In other languages
divine
British English: divine ADJECTIVE
You use divine to describe something that is provided by or relates to a god or goddess.
He suggested that the civil war had been a divine punishment.
American English: divine
Brazilian Portuguese: divino
Chinese: 神的
European Spanish: divino
French: divin
German: göttlich
Italian: divino
Japanese: 神の
Korean: 신의
European Portuguese: divino
Latin American Spanish: divino
All related terms of 'divine'
divine love
Love is the feeling that a person's happiness is very important to you, and the way you show this feeling in your behaviour towards them.
the divine
( often capital ) → another term for God
Divine Comedy
a long narrative poem in Italian, written ( c. 1307-21) by Dante Alighieri: it deals with the author's imagined journey through Hell , Purgatory , and Paradise
divine office
the canonical prayers (in the Roman Catholic Church those of the breviary ) recited daily by priests , those in religious orders, etc
divine right
If someone thinks they have a divine right to something, they think that it is their right to have it, without making any effort .
divine guidance
Guidance is help and advice .
Divine Liturgy
the Eucharistic rite
divine service
a service of the Christian church , esp one at which no sacrament is given
mind
You refer to someone's mind when talking about their thoughts. For example , if you say that something is in your mind , you mean that you are thinking about it, and if you say that something is at the back of your mind , you mean that you are aware of it, although you are not thinking about it very much.
divine right of kings
the concept that the right to rule derives from God and that kings are answerable for their actions to God alone
Revelation of Saint John the Divine
→ the Revelation of Saint John the Divine
the Revelation of Saint John the Divine
the last book of the New Testament , containing visionary descriptions of heaven , of conflicts between good and evil , and of the end of the world
john
a prostitute's client
Chinese translation of 'divine'
divine
(dɪˈvaɪn)
adj
(= from God)[inspiration, punishment]神的 (shén de)
(o.f., = wonderful) 极好的 (jí hǎo de)
vi
to divine for sth[water, metal]勘探某物 (kāntàn mǒuwù)
1 (adjective)
Definition
of God or a god
a gift from divine beings
Synonyms
heavenly
heavenly beings whose function it is to serve God
spiritual
holy
immortal
supernatural
celestial
gods and other celestial beings
angelic
angelic choirs
superhuman
godlike
They seemed godlike in their wisdom and nobility.
cherubic
the toddler's beaming, cherubic face
seraphic
supernal (literary)
paradisaical
2 (adjective)
the message of the Divine Book
Synonyms
sacred
shrines and sacred places
religious
different religious beliefs
holy
To most of the islanders, this is a holy place.
spiritual
A man in priestly clothes offered spiritual guidance.
blessed
After the ceremony, they were declared `blessed'.
revered
venerable
hallowed
Their resting place is in hallowed ground.
consecrated
sanctified
3 (adjective)
Definition
splendid or perfect
(informal)
You look simply divine.
Synonyms
wonderful
I've always thought he was a wonderful actor.
perfect
This is a perfect time to buy a house.
beautiful
a beautiful red-haired woman
excellent
We complimented him on doing an excellent job.
lovely
What a lovely surprise!
stunning (informal)
A stunning display of fireworks lit up the sky.
glorious
We opened the window and let in the glorious evening air.
marvellous
He certainly is a marvellous actor.
splendid
The book includes a wealth of splendid photographs.
gorgeous
I've had a gorgeous time today.
delightful
exquisite
The hotel features friendly staff and exquisite cuisine.
radiant
superlative
ravishing
She looked ravishing.
4 (adjective)
I had divine inspiration.
Synonyms
mystical
mystic union with God
supreme
exalted
She had the look of someone exalted by an excess of joy.
transcendent
the idea of a transcendent God who stood apart from mankind
blissful
a blissful smile
rapturous
The conference greeted the speech with rapturous applause.
transcendental
beatific (literary)
He smiled an almost beatific smile.
transmundane
(noun)
Definition
a priest who is learned in theology
He had the air of a divine.
Synonyms
priest
He had trained to be a Catholic priest.
minister
My father was a Baptist minister.
vicar
the vicar of the local parish
reverend
pastor
the pastor of the local Episcopalian church
cleric
or woman">clergyman or woman
The crowds were protesting against a local clergyman being banned from preaching.
curate
churchman or woman
padre (informal)
Many soldiers found the padre a comforting presence.
holy man or woman or person
man or woman or person of God
man or woman or person of the cloth
ecclesiastic
He was sent to a school run by ecclesiastics.
father confessor
1 (verb)
Definition
to discover (something) by intuition or guessing
She tried to divine which of her siblings was telling the truth.
Synonyms
guess
I guess I'm just being paranoid.
understand
I think you understand my meaning.
suppose
The problem was more complex than he supposed.
suspect
I suspect they were right.
perceive
He was beginning to perceive the true nature of their relationship.
discern
infer
I inferred from what she said that you have not been well.
deduce
She hoped he hadn't deduced the reason for her visit.
apprehend
Only now can I begin to apprehend the power of these forces.
conjecture
This may or may not be true; we are all conjecturing here.
surmise
She surmised that they had discovered one of the illegal streets.
foretell
intuit
prognosticate
2 (verb)
I was divining for water.
Synonyms
dowse
find through dowsing
Additional synonyms
in the sense of angelic
Definition
of or relating to angels
angelic choirs
Synonyms
heavenly,
celestial,
ethereal,
cherubic,
seraphic
in the sense of apprehend
Definition
to grasp (something) mentally
Only now can I begin to apprehend the power of these forces.