What does omniscient mean?
Word: Omniscient
Part of Speech: Adjective
Meaning: Omniscient means knowing everything there is to know.
Synonyms: all-knowing
How do you spell omniscient?
Syllables: om - nis - ci - ent
Tricky part: The letters s and c stand together in the middle of this word, and pupils who spell by ear drop one of them.
Watch out for: omnicient, omnisient
Memory tip: The pair sc travels together in scene and scent. Let it travel together here as well.
Omniscient in a sentence
Example 1: In the novel, an omniscient narrator reveals what each villager is secretly planning.
Example 2: With the internet on his phone, my cousin behaves as though he were omniscient.
Example 3: No coach is omniscient, so she asks her players for ideas too.
Fun Fact
The opening part of this word is the Latin for all, and the rest comes from a Latin verb meaning to know. Writing teachers use it for a storyteller who can see into every character's mind, a style common in older novels.
Practise the CREST Way
Word Cookie
Insert the correct letters to complete the word:
omn_sc__nt
a) e, e, i
b) i, e, i
c) i, i, e
d) e, i, e
Show answer
c) i, i, e. The middle vowel is a short i, and the pair after the c is the same pair as in ancient.
Word Cookie
Find the extra letter in the word:
ommniscient
a) c
b) m
c) n
d) s
Show answer
b) m. A single m closes the opening syllable before the n begins the next one.
Mingle-Mangle
The sentence hides a jumbled word. Choose the word:
The youngest pupils think their class teacher is tmcnoeisni, since she seems to know what every child is thinking.
a) ominous
b) obedient
c) omnipotent
d) omniscient
Show answer
d) omniscient. Omnipotent has a p and speaks of power, not knowledge, so it fails on both letters and sense.
Spell-o-Spell
Choose the meaning of the only correctly spelt word:
1. rendevous 2. entreprenuer 3. silhouete 4. omniscient
a) a dark outline against a light background
b) someone who starts up a new business
c) aware of all that can be known
d) a meeting at a planned time and place
Show answer
c) aware of all that can be known. Rendezvous has a z, silhouette ends in tte, and entrepreneur closes with eur.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. Why can no real newspaper reporter be called omniscient?
a) readers often disagree with what reporters write
b) newspapers print only a few pages each day
c) reporters must file stories within a fixed time
d) some facts always stay hidden from any reporter
Show answer
d) some facts always stay hidden from any reporter
2. Which sentence treats someone as omniscient?
a) Ask Dadi, she knows the answer to everything.
b) Ask Dadi, she will cook us something nice.
c) Ask Dadi, she was here only an hour ago.
d) Ask Dadi, she has the key to the cupboard.
Show answer
a) Ask Dadi, she knows the answer to everything.
