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
  • Throughout the season, there seems to be foreshadowing that something bad might happen to Robby.
    — Beatrice Verhoeven, HollywoodReporter, 16 Aug. 2026
  • As all of this finale drama is happening around him, Danny gets increasingly drunker, foreshadowing absolutely nothing good coming our way.
    — Ile-Ife Okantah, Vulture, 30 July 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
  • Coming off a season in which the Group of 5 sent two teams to the College Football Playoff, predicting what will happen in 2026 is more difficult than ever.
    — Chris Vannini, New York Times, 21 Aug. 2026
  • Analysts who spoke to ABC News acknowledged the difficulty in predicting when the most severe effects of the ballooning debt may materialize but warned that regardless of the answer, the current trajectory is unsustainable.
    — Max Zahn, ABC News, 20 Aug. 2026
Definition of predicting
Verb
  • That is a fairly hot SPAC, implying a value for Agility somewhere near $4 billion.
    — John Koetsier, Forbes.com, 19 Aug. 2026
  • On Tuesday, Davidson upgraded Duolingo to buy from neutral, lifting its 12-month price target on the stock to $160 from $130, implying 23% upside from Monday's close.
    — Liz Napolitano, CNBC, 18 Aug. 2026
Definition of implying
Verb
  • In the finale, after anticipating John’s attempt to run away with the money, Lucky sends Cary’s laptop and the seed phrase to the FBI, leaving her father empty-handed.
    — Lexy Perez, HollywoodReporter, 19 Aug. 2026
  • City officials decided in advance to move the meeting from its usual location at city offices to the Henry Ford Centennial Library, anticipating a crowd as the protest plans became known.
    — Paula Wethington, CBS News, 19 Aug. 2026
Definition of anticipating
Verb
  • Countless photographers were primed and ready to capture this magnificent display as Earth passed through the densest region of Swift-Tuttle debris trail, heralding the appearance of hundreds of shooting stars.
    — Anthony Wood, Space.com, 13 Aug. 2026
  • Roman Abramovich, the Russian oligarch, bought Chelsea in 2003, heralding a new era of financialization and oligarchic control.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 23 July 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 23 Aug. 2026.

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