as in to anticipate
to give a slight indication of beforehand
the strife in Bloody Kansas in the 1850s adumbrated the civil war that would follow
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Recent Examples of adumbrate
In between, works by contemporaries complicate superficial ideas about his meteoric genius, and small, delicate drawings teem with an abundance of ideas — paintings never made, thoughts adumbrated then abandoned.
—
Philip Kennicott, Washington Post, 18 Oct. 2019
Nothing in America’s tepid 19th-century contributions to European classical music adumbrated it; nor did the homely and sometimes hokey popular songs of Stephen Foster.
—Heather Mac Donald, National Review, 22 Aug. 2019
The helicopter crash, on the other hand, is a narrative dead end, merely adumbrating the portrait that Mr. Davenport will draw of Mr. Bezos as unflappable.
—Randall Stross, WSJ, 15 Apr. 2018
Philip Kennicott, Washington Post, 18 Oct. 2019
Nothing in America’s tepid 19th-century contributions to European classical music adumbrated it; nor did the homely and sometimes hokey popular songs of Stephen Foster.
—Heather Mac Donald, National Review, 22 Aug. 2019
The helicopter crash, on the other hand, is a narrative dead end, merely adumbrating the portrait that Mr. Davenport will draw of Mr. Bezos as unflappable.
—Randall Stross, WSJ, 15 Apr. 2018
Recent Examples of Synonyms for adumbrate
Verb
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In April, Caviezel anticipated returning as Christ in Resurrection.—
Glenn Garner,
Deadline,
11 Oct. 2025
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Most teams anticipate the asking price to be steep.—
Dianna Russini,
New York Times,
11 Oct. 2025
Verb
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In this melancholy-comic subversion of a rags-to-riches story Karl’s empathetic musings about those less fortunate immigrants foreshadow his subsequent downhill trajectory.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
6 Oct. 2025
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Your character also returns to Italy, hiding under a blanket, which was a moment foreshadowed in the very beginning.—
Giana Levy,
Variety,
1 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Let’s tie it all together by predicting that the first meeting of the season between Toronto and Philadelphia gets well and truly out of control … which by today’s standards means there are three fights in the game.—
Sean McIndoe,
New York Times,
7 Oct. 2025
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High geopolitical volatility makes predicting the market’s future even more difficult than usual, a Reuters columnist argued.—
Matthew Martin,
semafor.com,
6 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Andersen’s story may have prefigured this moment, although no major actor in the war wants to be the boy.—
MICHAEL KIMMAGE,
Foreign Affairs,
19 Aug. 2025
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This early embrace of mechanical rhythm prefigured what would later become a foundation of hip-hop and electronic music.—
Jose Valentino Ruiz,
The Conversation,
13 June 2025
Verb
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The most significant jump in imports into Italy was from China, up 18 percent in the period, implying that many fast fashion players are gaining Italians over.—
Martino Carrera,
Footwear News,
7 Oct. 2025
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After praising the male LGBTQIA+ members of their friendship circle, Consuelos then implied a wilder theory about the heterosexual female friends in Ripa's life.—
Joey Nolfi,
Entertainment Weekly,
7 Oct. 2025
Verb
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The Draconid meteor shower peaks tonight, heralding a spectacular natural light show as a flurry of meteors streak through the moonlit October skies.—
Anthony Wood,
Space.com,
8 Oct. 2025
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The album was heralded as Lorde’s most personal project to date, with the singer examining and untangling gender roles, body image issues and her sexuality.—
Lyndsey Havens,
Billboard,
6 Oct. 2025
Verb
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It’s been better than even the most optimistic among us could have foreseen.—
Chad Graff,
New York Times,
8 Oct. 2025
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That’s the grim reality that state and regional transportation planners foresee by the time the Valley has surpassed 1 million residents in 2050.—
Rose Evans,
Idaho Statesman,
3 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Adumbrate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/adumbrate. Accessed 12 Oct. 2025.
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