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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In California, the nation’s No. 1 tourist destination, international visits are expected to drop by 9.2% through the year, with international spending anticipated to drop 4.2%, according to a forecast published last month by Visit California and Tourism Economics.—
Michael Wilner,
Los Angeles Times,
1 June 2025
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That’s the threshold where extreme heat, storms, and droughts become more intense, more frequent, and more challenging to anticipate using outdated models built on decades of relatively stable climate risk trends.—
Michael Sheldrick,
Forbes.com,
1 June 2025
Verb
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While Florida, Colorado, Washington, D.C., California and Washington state experienced the greatest value declines from March to April, the data could foreshadow a larger housing market shift.—
Suzanne Blake,
MSNBC Newsweek,
20 May 2025
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Last summer’s positive readings foreshadowed a modest rebound in deal activity, and spring saw that play out with strong March and April numbers.—
John Walkup,
Forbes.com,
19 May 2025
Verb
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Retailers are unable to predict pricing for later in the year due to the uncertainty of where tariffs will land.—
Shelley E. Kohan,
Forbes.com,
1 June 2025
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Spinrad visited Southern California in late May and was taken aback by the number of people raising concern over the agency’s ability to continue predicting atmospheric river events, with all of their implications on public safety, reservoir operations and hydro power.—
Michael Wilner,
Los Angeles Times,
1 June 2025
Verb
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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
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The widescreen, 35mm format prefigured IMAX and other high-density imagery in a way that still stuns on screen.—
John Wenzel,
The Denver Post,
31 Jan. 2025
Verb
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The band sued Brinker International, the parent company of Chili’s Grill & Bar, last July, alleging that the use of the Ill Communication song falsely implied that Beastie Boys endorsed Chili’s.—
Jazz Monroe,
Pitchfork,
22 May 2025
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Unlike his small-time Israeli rivals, the placards implied, Netanyahu was a savvy statesman who punched above his weight on the international stage, thanks to his unaccented English oratory and ability to inveigle the world’s most powerful people.—
Yair Rosenberg,
The Atlantic,
22 May 2025
Verb
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The pop-rock effort was heralded as a critical triumph at the time, as well as a commercial juggernaut, and it is now regarded as one of the greatest albums ever.—
Hugh McIntyre,
Forbes.com,
30 May 2025
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He was heralded as the country’s youngest governor when elected at age 37, then became the first Connecticut governor in 200 years to win three four-year terms.—
Theresa Braine,
New York Daily News,
29 May 2025
Verb
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Strand foresees Prime Video similarly educating NASCAR fans, though not every bell and whistle will be unveiled this weekend.—
Jacob Feldman,
Sportico.com,
22 May 2025
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Management foresees full-year EPS to be between $5.95 and $6.55, which is a slight decrease from $6.32 recorded the previous year, reflecting persistent competitive pressures.—
Trefis Team,
Forbes.com,
21 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Adumbrate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/adumbrate. Accessed 5 Jun. 2025.
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