as in to foreshadow
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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Or maybe, as some eyebrow-raising posts on social media jokingly teased, foreshadowing a possible papal presidential run?—
Terry Collins,
USA Today,
12 Apr. 2026
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After Saturday’s game, Padres manager Craig Stammen kind of foreshadowed a second straight start at second base for Tatis.—
Jeff Sanders,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
12 Apr. 2026
Verb
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But it’s now projected to begin declining after the mid 2080s, according to the UN, sooner than anticipated.—
Daniel Moss,
Twin Cities,
12 Apr. 2026
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Looking ahead Widespread high temperatures in the 80s are anticipated away from the coast Tuesday through Thursday.—
Matthew Villafane,
CBS News,
12 Apr. 2026
Verb
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That prefigured, in a much smaller and less consequential way, Iran’s own actions in blocking the Strait of Hormuz during the current crisis.—
Ioana Emy Matesan,
The Conversation,
9 Apr. 2026
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The horror has come now like a storm— what if this night prefigured the night after death— what if all thereafter was an eternal quivering on the edge of an abyss, with everything base and vicious in oneself urging one forward and the baseness and viciousness of the world just ahead.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
3 Mar. 2026
Verb
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These tools help predict how a candidate will handle challenges, collaborate, and fit into your team.—
Karla Vallecillo,
Hartford Courant,
11 Apr. 2026
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At these critical points, theory predicts that entanglement may spike dramatically, but models often fail to describe what actually happens.—
Rupendra Brahambhatt,
Interesting Engineering,
11 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The have a few currant liqueurs in their lineup, but this one is produced, as the name implies, from an older variety from Burgundy, the birthplace of French cassis.—
Jerry & Krista Slater,
AJC.com,
12 Apr. 2026
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After a similar law was passed in Utah, a school board member publicly posted a photo of a 16-year-old girl on social media and implied, without any basis, that the student was transgender.—
Mike Smith,
Denver Post,
12 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Water fluoridation has been heralded as one of the top public health initiatives of the last century for its ability to fight cavities.—
Kaan Ozcan,
NBC news,
13 Apr. 2026
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Baisakhi heralds the beginning of the harvest season in Punjab, and farmers come together to celebrate the abundance provided by nature.—
Tamanna Nangia,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
10 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Weeks after slashing his staff by 40%, Jack Dorsey, CEO of payments company Block, foresees middle management’s complete extinction.—
Jacqueline Munis,
Fortune,
2 Apr. 2026
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Wind gusts of up to 60 mph and quarter-sized hail (1 inch) are foreseen.—
NC Weather Bot,
Charlotte Observer,
1 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Adumbrate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/adumbrate. Accessed 14 Apr. 2026.
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