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
  • 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
  • The regulatory move was seen as foreshadowing a wider approval for these types of products on equities.
    — Yun Li, CNBC, 27 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
  • Historians are generally better off interpreting the past than predicting the future.
    — Jake Lundberg, The Atlantic, 13 Aug. 2026
  • From technological upheavals to an increasingly frenetic global trend cycle, industry leaders are constantly tasked with predicting what comes next — which is no small feat in 2026.
    — Sophie Lou Wilson, Vogue, 12 Aug. 2026
Definition of predicting
Verb
  • The bank reiterated its buy rating on the data services stock and raised its 12-month price target to $540 from $450, implying 23% upside from Wednesday's close.
    — Liz Napolitano, CNBC, 13 Aug. 2026
  • What outrages Marylanders is that this diabolical plan excludes the Preakness, devaluing it and implying the Triple Crown is irrelevant, if not dead.
    — Stephen J. K. Walters, Baltimore Sun, 12 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 20 Aug. 2026.

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