Prescient and present are two words that look very similar and are easily confused. We will examine the definitions of prescient and present, where these words came from and some examples of their use in sentences.
Prescient means being able to predict the future, knowing what is going to happen before it takes place. The word prescient is an adjective, the noun form is prescience. The word prescient is derived from the Latin word praescire, which means to know something beforehand.
Present is word with several different meanings. Present may mean a gift. Present may mean to exist or be in a particular place. Present may refer to something that is occurring at this particular moment, the now. Present may also be used as a verb to mean to give something. The word present is derived from the Latin word praesens which means being there. Related words are presents, presented, presenting.
Examples
But mostly, it was the deal that Rutherford didn’t make that had his NHL brethren puzzled, until it proved wholly prescient. (The Globe & Mail)
Some YouTube comments said it was “terrifying how prescient (it) is,” while others criticized it as “anti-Trump” propaganda. (USA Today)
Many of the original songs are steeped in a sense of prescient sadness and pre-ordained doom, but that doesn’t keep Pierce, Sanderson and bassist Romi Mori from hammering everything out with an exacting and relentless drive. (Los Angeles Weekly)
Once a production of the Junior Women’s Club, in 2014, Mezo and the Special Olympics/Unified Champion Schools stepped up to present the show as a joint fundraiser. (The Mount Vernon Register-News)
Along with first-round pick Gareon Conley, all eight other members of the Raiders draft class were present and accounted for on Friday when the team opened its three-day rookie mini camp. (The Mercury News)