fortune-teller

fortune-teller — noun

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

1.名詞B1
釋義

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

例句

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

同義詞
  • 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

用法筆記

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

常見錯誤

❌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.名詞B2
釋義

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

例句

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

同義詞
  • 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

用法筆記

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.