portentous

adjective

por·​ten·​tous pȯr-ˈten-təs 

1

: of, relating to, or constituting a portent

suspense, portentous foreshadowing, hints of sinister and violent mysteries

—Francine Prose

2

: eliciting amazement or wonder : prodigious

3

a

: being a grave or serious matter

portentous decisions

b

: self-consciously solemn or important : pompous

portentous declamation unsalted by the least trace of humor

—W. H. Pritchard

c

: ponderously excessive

that discipline's overwrought, portentous phrases

—R. M. Coles

portentously adverb

portentousness noun

Did you know?

“If it wasn’t for bad luck / You know I wouldn’t have no luck at all.” So sang Albert King on the 1967 song “Born Under a Bad Sign,” written by Booker T. Jones (of Booker T. and the MG’s) and soul singer William Bell. He may have been singing about the ominous portent of being born during an unfavorable astrological alignment, but the classic tune became a standard of the blues. Portents are also at the heart of the adjective portentous, which describes things forewarning future events—usually events of the bad luck variety. Both portent and portentous come from the Latin noun portentum, meaning “omen or sign.” Since entering English in the 15th century, portentous has picked up additional senses, including “grave, solemn, significant” (as in “burdened with making portentous decisions”), which was added to our dictionary in 1934. It’s more recently moved into less estimable semantic territory, describing both the pompous and the excessive.

Synonyms

• ominous
• sinister
• menacing

Choose the Right Synonym for portentous

ominous, portentous, fateful mean having a menacing or threatening aspect.

ominous implies having a menacing, alarming character foreshadowing evil or disaster.

ominous rumblings from the volcano

portentous suggests being frighteningly big or impressive but now seldom definitely connotes forewarning of calamity.

an eerie and portentous stillness

fateful suggests being of momentous or decisive importance.

the fateful conference that led to war

Examples of portentous in a Sentence

an eerie and portentous stillness hung over the camp the night before the battle

in 1969 people regarded the first landing on the moon as a truly portentous event

Recent Examples on the Web

Later, chugging string figures and portentous drones have the flavor of Danny Elfman and Hans Zimmer. —Alex Ross, New Yorker, 6 Oct. 2025

In the final novel of the series, The Last Battle, the destruction of trees and dryads in Lantern Waste, a place tied to the creation of Narnia itself, is one of many portentous omens signalling the end of the world. —Ellen Walker, JSTOR Daily, 3 Sep. 2025

The imposing gothic details of Victor’s castle-laboratory—a portentous warrior-angel statue that comes to life, a screaming Medusa rondel carved in stone—vibrate with gloomy baroque majesty. —Stephanie Zacharek, Time, 30 Aug. 2025

Call it cinema’s most portentous let. —Joe Reid, Vulture, 29 Aug. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for portentous

• apprentice
• momentous
• placentas
• filamentous
• ligamentous
• mentis
• prentice

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Kids Definition

portentous

adjective

por·​ten·​tous pȯr-ˈtent-əs 

pōr-

1

: being a portent : threatening

2

: causing wonder

portentously adverb

portentousness noun