adumbrate

verb

ˈa-dəm-ˌbrāt How to pronounce adumbrate (audio)
Definition of adumbratenext
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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Example Sentences

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.
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for adumbrate
  1. foreshadow
  2. anticipate
  3. prefigure
  4. predict
  5. imply
  6. herald
  7. foresee
Verb
  • That blaze foreshadowed a fire that destroyed Arlington Park in 1985.
    — Robert McCoppin, Chicago Tribune, 25 July 2026
  • In May, Brink told Footwear News that the P400 Low was well-equipped for her style of play and that the 740 was one of her favorite off-duty shoes — perhaps foreshadowing the Malibu Melt pack that was to come.
    — Riley Jones, Footwear News, 25 July 2026
Definition of foreshadow
Verb
  • Now Iran keeps opening and closing it, and together with Oman, the Arab nation on the other side of the strait, is anticipating charging tolls.
    — Ron Kampeas, The Washington Examiner, 25 July 2026
  • Service is highly personalized and accessible with the touch of a button, with butlers trained to anticipate and respond to guest needs and preferences.
    — Irene S. Levine, Forbes.com, 25 July 2026
Definition of anticipate
Verb
  • Other Black families tried to hold on under the new regime but ultimately found Wilmington untenable and moved north, joining a local exodus that prefigured the Great Migration.
    — Lauren Collins, New Yorker, 3 July 2026
  • Over the course of one phantasmagoric evening, Robin witnesses events that prefigure the Revolutionary War.
    — John Swansburg, The Atlantic, 15 June 2026
Definition of prefigure
Verb
  • The system predicts robot actions by pairing the video model with an action decoder that converts visual predictions into executable robot movements.
    — Jijo Malayil, Interesting Engineering, 24 July 2026
  • Economists predicted up to $84 trillion in assets could change hands over 20 years as boomers die and pass on their wealth.
    — Tom Chivers, semafor.com, 24 July 2026
Definition of predict
Verb
  • But when two students are interacting with one another, Pfefferkorn noted that implies some level of institutional responsibility.
    — Avni Trivedi, CNN Money, 21 July 2026
  • Jefferies initiated research coverage of the financial services company with a buy on Friday, setting a price target of $760, implying almost 22% upside from Monday’s close.
    — Assiatou Hann, CNBC, 21 July 2026
Definition of imply
Verb
  • The positive outlook is that wide-scale humanoid adoption will herald an unprecedented era of global abundance, automating mundane and dangerous labor while ushering in post-scarcity societies.
    — Charlie Campbell, Time, 23 July 2026
  • Award-winning bagpiper Aaron Shaw heralded the groom’s arrival, a profound tribute to his family’s Scottish lineage and nod to Davis being an accomplished bagpiper himself.
    — Ashlyn Robinette, PEOPLE, 23 July 2026
Definition of herald
Verb
  • However, 76% of Wall Street traders foresee a rate hike in September, according to the CME FedWatch tool.
    — Yuri Kageyama, Fortune, 29 July 2026
  • While some project significant costs, others foresee billions in Medicare savings from reduced hospitalizations.
    — Sally Pipes, Forbes.com, 27 July 2026
Definition of foresee

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adumbrate
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Cite this Entry

“Adumbrate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/adumbrate. Accessed 31 Jul. 2026.

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