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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Erika Kirk’s endorsement of Vice President JD Vance for president in 2028 and the early jockeying by prospective Democratic candidates foreshadow the post-Trump future ahead.—
Colin Pascal,
Baltimore Sun,
12 Jan. 2026
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This is news that Jim foreshadowed to Investing Club members in his first Sunday think piece of the year.—
Paulina Likos,
CNBC,
12 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The high-flying sequel to 2024's box office sensation earned five nominations in total — far fewer than many awards prognosticators had anticipated — but with both Erivo and her costar, Ariana Grande, in contention in acting categories.—
Ryan Coleman,
Entertainment Weekly,
11 Jan. 2026
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There will be increasingly high cloud cover throughout the day, but no precipitation is anticipated.—
Lauren Bostwick,
CBS News,
11 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Military action in Venezuela today without allies may prefigure action tomorrow against allies—for example, to invade and annex Greenland.—
David Frum,
The Atlantic,
3 Jan. 2026
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Tragedy strikes many times in this decades-spanning story, in many forms, but the defining event of Grainier’s life sees his home burned to the ground, an event that eerily prefigures the LA fires of early 2025.—
Damon Wise,
Deadline,
8 Nov. 2025
Verb
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The study by Diversified Energy Specialists predicts that smaller fuel dealers will be negatively affected by the policy more than larger companies.—
Tim Dunn,
Boston Herald,
14 Jan. 2026
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Not to mention, Pinterest predicts cool blue will be the new millennial pink (Sabrina Carpenter’s already commandeered the shade on and off stage, with Hailey Bieber closely following in some of her streetwear looks).—
Irene Richardson,
InStyle,
14 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Newsom’s interview Monday on MS NOW, the cable channel beloved by Democratic politicians and activist voters, implied anew that his final year as governor will be dominated by his all-but-certain bid for the White House in 2028.—
Dan Walters,
Mercury News,
7 Jan. 2026
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Experts, however, caution the situation is much more complicated than the president might imply, and oil stocks lost steam on Tuesday after their Monday rally, undoing some of the previous day’s gains.—
Rebecca Schneid,
Time,
7 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Scores of lawmakers and union members heralded the return of the Worker Protection Act in the state Capitol on Thursday, six days before the legislature was set to settle in for its 2026 session.—
Seth Klamann,
Denver Post,
8 Jan. 2026
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Mamdani is being heralded as a hero for espousing one of the most destructive ideologies on the planet.—
Nicole Russell,
USA Today,
8 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The designer wrote his master’s thesis on wearables, foreseeing how smart clothing and other technologies could become part of daily life even before wireless technologies like Wifi and Bluetooth were standard.—
Nicholas Gordon,
Fortune,
6 Jan. 2026
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While experts think that significantly boosting oil production in Venezuela could cost upwards of $100 billion and take at least a decade, some Wall Street analysts foresee a potentially faster upgrade.—
Alain Sherter,
CBS News,
5 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Adumbrate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/adumbrate. Accessed 14 Jan. 2026.
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