adumbrating

verb

present participle of adumbrate
as in foreshadowing
to give a slight indication of beforehand the strife in Bloody Kansas in the 1850s adumbrated the civil war that would follow

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for adumbrating
  1. foreshadowing
  2. prefiguring
  3. predicting
  4. implying
  5. anticipating
  6. heralding
  7. foreseeing
Verb
  • Wingo also thrived, catching seven passes for 121 yards and a score, foreshadowing the issues opponents will have trying to blanket both him and Coleman on the outside.
    — Sam Khan Jr, New York Times, 10 Sep. 2026
  • Lee saw the events foreshadowing a dark future for his country and maybe the world — changes in technology and wealth leaving workers behind.
    — David Canfield, HollywoodReporter, 27 Aug. 2026
Definition of foreshadowing
Verb
  • On the city’s West Side, the site of storied clubs such as Silvio’s as well as the Maxwell Street Market, blues musicians developed a style of electric blues in the 1950s that typically included a horn section (prefiguring soul music).
    — René Ostberg, Encyclopedia Britannica, 29 July 2026
Definition of prefiguring
Verb
  • TSixtySix has a heist film releasing early next year and a coming-of-age drama shooting in late January, with Satrusayang predicting demand for Thai content will keep rising.
    — Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 11 Sep. 2026
  • Understanding the machinations of the current administration and predicting its plans is too tall an order.
    — Kate Nishimura, Footwear News, 11 Sep. 2026
Definition of predicting
Verb
  • The five national title favorites plus Indiana, Oregon and Texas Tech all have minus-odds, implying each have a greater than 50 percent chance to make the CFP.
    — Dan Santaromita, New York Times, 9 Sep. 2026
  • The analysts also increased their price target on the Club stock to $515 from $450, implying over 25% upside from Friday's close.
    — Paulina Likos, CNBC, 8 Sep. 2026
Definition of implying
Verb
  • Kaepernick added that he was additionally frustrated to finally receive a phone call from the rapper possibly anticipating questions about the Roc Nation and NFL partnership.
    — Michel Martin, NPR, 9 Sep. 2026
  • Some had few concerns; others couldn’t return to school or urban life, anticipating more attacks.
    — Dr. Victor Fornari, New York Daily News, 6 Sep. 2026
Definition of anticipating
Verb
  • That would mark a decisive break from the generally low and comparatively stable inflation environment that followed the global financial crisis — heralding wide-ranging implications for investors' portfolios.
    — Hugh Leask, CNBC, 4 Sep. 2026
  • Paramount has pointed to the near doubling of its release count since the 2025 merger with Skydance, while also heralding its commitment for Paramount-WBD to distribute at least 30 theatrical films per year.
    — Ted Johnson, Deadline, 1 Sep. 2026
Definition of heralding
Verb
  • Nate Davis does the honors again, foreseeing the winners of all 272 regular-season games to propose win-loss records for all 32 teams.
    — Jim Reineking, USA Today, 10 Aug. 2026
  • Nevertheless, Patel remains optimistic, foreseeing a future where human creativity and critical thinking combine with AI's potential for endless possibilities.
    — Michael Ashley, Forbes.com, 2 July 2026
Definition of foreseeing
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.

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Cite this Entry

“Adumbrating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/adumbrating. Accessed 13 Sep. 2026.

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