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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The National Retail Federation also anticipated skyrocketing prices on clothing, household appliances, furniture and more.—
Dryden Pence,
Forbes.com,
13 June 2025
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Organizers anticipate that the immigration enforcement and Trump's response to largely peaceful protests by bringing in the military is a pivot point that will bring new people to the streets June 14.—
Sarah D. Wire,
USA Today,
13 June 2025
Verb
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Forbes senior contributor Christian Weller writes that while the CPI report looks positive, there are troubling areas that could foreshadow larger problems in the coming months.—
Megan Poinski,
Forbes.com,
17 June 2025
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This foreshadowed a gradual cooling that would culminate in the most recent ice age.—
Tim Vernimmen,
Smithsonian Magazine,
5 June 2025
Verb
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But ask it to explain why a person is pacing nervously near a fence, or predict what might happen next in a crowded room — and suddenly, the illusion of intelligence falls apart.—
Kolawole Samuel Adebayo,
Forbes.com,
13 June 2025
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There's no way to predict how future generations may view grief tech.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
13 June 2025
Verb
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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
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Its extreme hostility to the very idea of liberal governance, its skepticism of democracy, and its faith in the primacy of the wealthy over the law all prefigured the way that Trump and Elon Musk would assail key functions of government in 2025.—
Zack Beauchamp,
Vox,
7 Dec. 2018
Verb
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Roughly 56% of analysts surveyed by FactSet have a buy rating on JPMorgan stock, and the average analyst consensus price target implies about 3% upside.—
Brian Evans,
CNBC,
15 June 2025
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As the name implies, the fog harp consists of a frame holding vertical wires with no criss-crossing horizontal ones.—
Jennifer Ouellette,
ArsTechnica,
13 June 2025
Verb
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When the full-length arrived, it was heralded as yet another artistic triumph.—
Hugh McIntyre,
Forbes.com,
10 June 2025
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But now, as the internet heralds certain celebrities’ plastic surgery results, revealing the details of one’s own procedure(s) provides an opportunity to hold court in a positive light.—
Nicola Dall'Asen,
Allure,
4 June 2025
Verb
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The Royalton Chic hotel could not have foreseen that its operations would be substantial factors in the cause of Elijah Snow’s death, the Mexican property’s lawyers argued.—
Emerson Clarridge,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
13 June 2025
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Wind gusts of up to 40 mph and pea-sized hail (0.25 inches) are foreseen.—
NC Weather Bot,
Charlotte Observer,
13 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Adumbrate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/adumbrate. Accessed 26 Jun. 2025.
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