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
  • Uranus and Neptune harmonize today, foreshadowing new community ties!
    — USA TODAY, USA Today, 15 July 2026
  • Roberts’s quip foreshadowed his opinion on behalf of the Court holding that near-universal birthright citizenship is guaranteed by the text of the Fourteenth Amendment’s citizenship clause.
    — Amanda Frost, The Atlantic, 2 July 2026
Definition of foreshadow
Verb
  • Relief from heat is anticipated by Wednesday and Thursday, when the high temperature is forecast to inch down into the mid-80s.
    — Kendrick Calfee, Kansas City Star, 18 July 2026
  • As far as the production approach to Sunday, Telemundo anticipates having its biggest canvas yet, with correspondents delivering reports and setting the scene from Spain and Argentina.
    — Dade Hayes, Deadline, 18 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
  • Dreessen predicts the smoke will lessen by the time thunderstorms roll through, lowering the chance of dirty rain.
    — Nicole Pilsbury, Baltimore Sun, 17 July 2026
  • The forecast for Sunday in East Rutherford predicts clear skies and temperatures at a moderate 80 degrees.
    — Greg Evans, Deadline, 17 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
  • Merck’s Lipfendra achieved similar results to injectable treatments, potentially heralding a new era of easier prevention for people wanting to bring down artery-clogging cholesterol.
    — J.D. Capelouto, semafor.com, 16 July 2026
  • Production is already underway in Queenstown, New Zealand, heralding the first Netflix series from its Australia and New Zealand branch to be set and shot in New Zealand.
    — Rosy Cordero, Deadline, 16 July 2026
Definition of herald
Verb
  • But although few, then, could possibly have foreseen the cataclysm of the twentieth-century wars, the hatred was already there in the anti-semitism of old France, in the divisions over Dreyfus.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 17 July 2026
  • On this occasion, here came a controversy few could have foreseen.
    — Adam Crafton, New York Times, 13 July 2026
Definition of foresee

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Cite this Entry

“Adumbrate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/adumbrate. Accessed 24 Jul. 2026.

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