Omniscient describesgives a picture or explanation of what a person or thing is like someone or something that knows everything, or is treated as knowinghaving awareness or information about facts or events everything. It is often used in religion, fiction, and literary criticismcareful analysis and judgment of books, art, or other works.
Reviewed with OpenAI Decisions. Assessment: accurate. Checked: 2026-10-13. AI assessment; not a guarantee of accuracy.
Pronunciation
AI-generated pronunciation audio (OpenAI).
Accent: General American English
IPA: /ɑmˈnɪʃənt/
Easy pronunciation: ahm-NISH-uhnt (approximate spelling).
Stress: Stress the second syllable: NISH.
Use the adjective meaning knowing everything; complete knowledge.
Reviewed with OpenAI Decisions. Assessment: accurate. Checked: 2026-10-13. AI assessment; not a guarantee of accuracy.
Omniscient Meaning
Knowing all things.
Part of speech: adjective
Definition: Knowing everything; having complete knowledge.
Example: The novel is told by an omniscient narrator who knows what every character is thinking.
Synonyms for this meaning:
- all-knowing — Direct synonym for the same sense.
Reviewed with OpenAI Decisions. Assessment: accurate. Checked: 2026-10-13. AI assessment; not a guarantee of accuracy.
Other Meanings of Omniscient
Meaning 2
Extremely wise in a way that seems limitless.
Part of speech: adjective
Definition: Infinitely wise.
Example: In older religious writing, God is often described as omniscient and perfectly wise.
Synonyms for this meaning:
- all-knowing — Works here too because unlimited knowledge is closely tied to limitless wisdom in this sense.
Reviewed with OpenAI Decisions. Assessment: uncertain — manual review needed. Checked: 2026-10-13. AI assessment; not a guarantee of accuracy.
Omniscient Synonyms
Similar Meaning
- all-knowing
Infinitely wise
- all-knowing
Reviewed with OpenAI Decisions. Assessment: inaccurate — correction needed. Checked: 2026-10-13. AI assessment; not a guarantee of accuracy.
Common Mistakes
- People sometimes use omniscient to mean simply very smart, but it usually means knowing everything or being presented that way.
- It is not the same as omnipotent, which means all-powerful.
Reviewed with OpenAI Decisions. Assessment: accurate. Checked: 2026-10-13. AI assessment; not a guarantee of accuracy.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does omniscient mean?
Omniscient means knowing everything, or being described as having complete knowledge.
What is a simple synonym for omniscient?
All-knowing is the closest simple synonym.
Is omniscient the same as omnipotent?
No. Omniscient means all-knowing, while omnipotent means all-powerful.
Reviewed with OpenAI Decisions. Assessment: accurate. Checked: 2026-10-13. AI assessment; not a guarantee of accuracy.