Thesaurus results for PORTENT

portent

noun

ˈpȯr-ˌtent

Definition of portent

as in forerunner

something believed to be a sign or warning of a future event a red sky in the morning can be a portent of a coming storm

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

as in miracle

something extraordinary or surprising a scout was sent to have a look at this teenage pitcher who was supposed to be the latest portent of the baseball world

Synonyms & Similar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of portent In the shadows of the long-hut, the elders muttered among themselves—of portents and crops and weather and the storage of grain. — Maggie O’Farrell, Literary Hub, 2 June 2026 That Mann and his daughter, at a posh Frankfurt hotel party, glimpse so many remnants of the Nazi era — including Erika’s ex-husband, who collaborated with the regime — is another portent of darkness. — Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 14 May 2026 Hurley says there are already portents of future protests against SpaceX’s plan, sparked by its lofting just 10,000 Starlink satellites so far into low Earth orbit. — Kevin Holden Platt, Forbes.com, 14 May 2026 The company’s example was seen by many as a portent of the AI future. — Geoff Colvin, Fortune, 12 Apr. 2026 See All Example Sentences for portent

Recent Examples of Synonyms for portent

Noun

Margaret and Alice are the forerunners of Lucy and Ethel, and Shakespeare’s comedy, written expressly to entertain, gives us a sense of what an Elizabethan-era situation comedy might look like.

— Theater Critic, Los Angeles Times, 23 July 2026
One of the forerunners today in Madeira and the Azores is António Maçanita from Azores Wine Company.

— Forbes.com, Forbes.com, 20 July 2026

Definition of forerunner

Noun

The birth-order advantage (Tim Ireland / Associated Press) To researchers, Serena’s rise is not an isolated miracle of genetics, but a classic expression of family dynamics.

— Douglas Robson, Los Angeles Times, 2 Sep. 2026
Hundreds of puppets had to be created, and fitting characters like the Smiling Friends that were clearly designed for 2D animation into 3D spaces required some fabrication miracles.

— Christian Zilko, IndieWire, 30 Aug. 2026

Definition of miracle

Noun

While the particularly large number of closing colleges in Vermont may seem a bad omen for an effort to open a new one, Holcombe said experiencing the problem has made the state that much more focused on it.

— Jon Marcus, NPR, 1 Sep. 2026
Hopefully that is not an omen for a wildly inflated price on the top models.

— Janhoi McGregor, Forbes.com, 29 Aug. 2026

Definition of omen

Noun

This cyclic climate phenomenon drives up temperatures in the Pacific Ocean, altering the world’s climate and weather patterns for months.

— Mary Randolph, Scientific American, 10 Sep. 2026
The key to this illusion is a phenomenon called gravitational lensing, first predicted by Albert Einstein's 1915 theory of gravity, general relativity, which also first predicted the existence of gravitational waves.

— Robert Lea, Space.com, 9 Sep. 2026

Definition of phenomenon

Noun

Losing to the Clippers was the precursor to the Jazz blowing up their team a year later; Utah only came out of hibernation this past summer.

— John Hollinger, New York Times, 3 Sep. 2026
But fantasy sports, an almost quaint precursor to the instantaneous forms of gambling proliferating now, remains hugely prevalent.

— Hannah Keyser, CNN Money, 3 Sep. 2026

Definition of precursor

Noun

Grounded in tragedy and yet evoking a consistent sense of wonder, the lady of the house looks less like a mirror for her husband than a magnifying glass held over his genius and grotesquerie.

— Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 5 Sep. 2026
But most of all, wonder feels scarce because contemporary life has depleted the value of the moment.

— Ian Bogost, The Atlantic, 4 Sep. 2026

Definition of wonder

Noun

What detracts from the film is the clumsily emphatic foreshadowing of a dramatic plot turn, which is pretty much spelled out by an alarm company technician who sells Miguel on the wisdom of upgrading to a next-level home security system.

— David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 8 Sep. 2026
On stage, the audience is the camera, peering into a cutaway of set designer Fly Davis’ ominous, two-story house, lit with foreboding foreshadowing by Anna Watson.

— Frank Rizzo, Variety, 26 Aug. 2026

Definition of foreshadowing

Noun

Here, age-old traditions fuse with contemporary flavors, archaeological marvels meet modernist museums, rugged peaks are juxtaposed against verdant plains, and stretches of sandy shorelines lead to charming inland villages.

— Condé Nast Traveler, Condé Nast Traveler, 3 Sep. 2026
In 1959, Disneyland debuted an attraction that was, at the time, a technical and fantastical marvel.

— Julie Tremaine, PEOPLE, 3 Sep. 2026

Definition of marvel

Browse Nearby Words

portends

portent

portentous

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Style

“Portent.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/portent. Accessed 10 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of portent

noun

Example Sentences

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