1
as in diviners
one who predicts future events or developments
according to Greek myth, Cassandra was a visionary who was endowed with the gift of inerrant prophecy but fated to never be believed
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2
as in dreamers
one whose conduct is guided more by the image of perfection than by the real world
19th-century visionaries who founded short-lived communities in which everyone was supposed to live in perfect peace and harmony
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Recent Examples of visionaries
Still giving guidance and encouragement to younger visionaries.
—
Literary Hub, 5 Feb. 2026
Those great ’70s movies grew out of the desperation and dysfunction of the studio system at the time, which opened the door to visionaries with something to say (and, sometimes, a ridiculously high budget to say it with).
—Steven Zeitchik, HollywoodReporter, 30 Jan. 2026
A lot of companies are still trying to retrofit AI into existing workflows, while the genuine visionaries are redesigning entire workflows with AI as the foundation.
—Mark Minevich, Forbes.com, 30 Jan. 2026
So wrote the poet William Blake, who is a sort of tutelary spirit for London’s seekers and visionaries.
—Hari Kunzru, Harpers Magazine, 27 Jan. 2026
And while the manufacturing, retailing, and banking executives who led the top American firms in the post–Cold War era saw themselves as scientific managers, the Tech Hamiltonians—often the extremely successful founders of cutting-edge technology firms—see themselves as visionaries and leaders.
—Walter Russell Mead, The Atlantic, 24 Jan. 2026
The logic of that declaration—that the church would provide shelter for those whose lives were at risk—was applied to the 1982 Sanctuary Movement, and Schultz is widely credited as one of the principal visionaries who spread the idea to faith organizations nationwide.
—Jay Caspian Kang, New Yorker, 20 Jan. 2026
There are creators and then there are true community builders and visionaries, Brown is the rare combination of the three.
—Brianna J. Heath, Essence, 20 Jan. 2026
In 2017, Garavani was also inducted into the American Academy of Achievement Hall of Fame, becoming the first European fashion designer to receive the honor, which recognizes visionaries and achievers across various fields.
—Luisa Zargani, Footwear News, 19 Jan. 2026
Literary Hub, 5 Feb. 2026
Those great ’70s movies grew out of the desperation and dysfunction of the studio system at the time, which opened the door to visionaries with something to say (and, sometimes, a ridiculously high budget to say it with).
—Steven Zeitchik, HollywoodReporter, 30 Jan. 2026
A lot of companies are still trying to retrofit AI into existing workflows, while the genuine visionaries are redesigning entire workflows with AI as the foundation.
—Mark Minevich, Forbes.com, 30 Jan. 2026
So wrote the poet William Blake, who is a sort of tutelary spirit for London’s seekers and visionaries.
—Hari Kunzru, Harpers Magazine, 27 Jan. 2026
And while the manufacturing, retailing, and banking executives who led the top American firms in the post–Cold War era saw themselves as scientific managers, the Tech Hamiltonians—often the extremely successful founders of cutting-edge technology firms—see themselves as visionaries and leaders.
—Walter Russell Mead, The Atlantic, 24 Jan. 2026
The logic of that declaration—that the church would provide shelter for those whose lives were at risk—was applied to the 1982 Sanctuary Movement, and Schultz is widely credited as one of the principal visionaries who spread the idea to faith organizations nationwide.
—Jay Caspian Kang, New Yorker, 20 Jan. 2026
There are creators and then there are true community builders and visionaries, Brown is the rare combination of the three.
—Brianna J. Heath, Essence, 20 Jan. 2026
In 2017, Garavani was also inducted into the American Academy of Achievement Hall of Fame, becoming the first European fashion designer to receive the honor, which recognizes visionaries and achievers across various fields.
—Luisa Zargani, Footwear News, 19 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for visionaries
Noun
-
Not seeing us at all — as parents, neighbors, teachers, leads, lovers, screw‑ups, dreamers — damages us.—
Gloria Calderon Kellett,
Deadline,
29 Jan. 2026
-
Positive, resilient, adventurous, empathetic dreamers both!—
Dalton Ross,
Entertainment Weekly,
28 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
But aren’t prophets esteemed precisely for their willingness to tell difficult truths to the people of God?—
Peter Wehner,
The Atlantic,
6 Feb. 2026
-
If history is repetition, then prophets of the past must have something to teach us.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
5 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Dangerous conditions along the Bay Area coast on Friday prompted forecasters to warn residents to stay away from the water.—
Carlos E. Castañeda,
CBS News,
7 Feb. 2026
-
Dangerously cold temperatures combined with wind gusts up to 60 mph are expected to cause life-threatening conditions across parts of the Midwest, Mid-Atlantic and Northeast to close out the week, forecasters said.—
Jeanine Santucci,
USA Today,
6 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Seeing around the bend in the river—or even knowing the river ahead does indeed bend—can require the sort of leap of faith that made Vannevar Bush insist that shamans, priests and spiritual seers are the antecedents of today’s engineering stars.—
IEEE Spectrum,
IEEE Spectrum,
8 Aug. 2019
Noun
-
The playwright understood something about the economic reasoning of such an innovation, however, for if the futurists and techno-utopians once imagined that machines would do all of our dreary work to free us to be artists, writers, and musicians, the opposite is now the case.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
21 Jan. 2026
-
Tech CEOs and futurists have long described Artificial General Intelligence, or AGI, as one of the ultimate goals of artificial intelligence.—
Chris Young,
Interesting Engineering,
9 Dec. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Visionaries.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/visionaries. Accessed 14 Feb. 2026.
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