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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Meanwhile, quarterback Jalen Hurts, speaking at his first news conference of the offseason Wednesday, seemed to foreshadow the inevitable.—
Daniel Popper,
New York Times,
29 May 2026
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The Drama Desk Awards have long foreshadowed triumphs at the Tony Awards.—
Marc Hershberg,
Forbes.com,
23 May 2026
Verb
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The Heart is a Lonely Hunter was hotly anticipated, despite—or because of—its strangeness.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
1 June 2026
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The Washington Examiner also contacted Democrats, elected or otherwise, who are anticipated to run for their party’s 2028 presidential nomination, including Govs.—
Naomi Lim,
The Washington Examiner,
31 May 2026
Verb
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The race took on the dimensions of a proxy battle between OpenAI and Anthropic, a clash of money and priorities that seems likely to prefigure other midterm contests.—
Gideon Lewis-Kraus,
New Yorker,
7 May 2026
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That prefigured, in a much smaller and less consequential way, Iran’s own actions in blocking the Strait of Hormuz during the current crisis.—
Ioana Emy Matesan,
The Conversation,
9 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Higher education experts predict fiercer competition among colleges trying to attract students from a smaller cohort, as well as potential enrollment declines that could rock an institution’s bottom line.—
Elizabeth Hernandez,
Denver Post,
31 May 2026
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But far from hurting retail sales, Lottery officials at the time of the Legislature’s approval predicted potential benefits for brick-and-mortar outlets.—
Editorial,
Boston Herald,
31 May 2026
Verb
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The original creepypasta that inspired the phenomenon (posted to 4chan in 2019) is the only canonical Backrooms document—the post implies the presence of a monster, but stops short of describing it.—
Dani Di Placido,
Forbes.com,
31 May 2026
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As the name implies, the French pedicure shares the same DNA as a French manicure.—
Fiona Embleton,
Glamour,
31 May 2026
Verb
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Shortly after the legislation was signed, National Wildlife Federation heralded the bill as a model for other states.—
Noël Fletcher,
Forbes.com,
1 June 2026
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County officials heralded the investigation for providing new details from the chaotic first hours of the firestorm, which highlighted incident commanders’ lack of situational awareness.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
29 May 2026
Verb
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Dell foresees supply constraints in the second half of fiscal 2027, Clarke said.—
Jordan Novet,
CNBC,
28 May 2026
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Regardless of Emery’s encouraging assessment back then, Buendia’s overall season record of 11 goals and nine assists underlined a turnaround very few, aside from the midfielder himself, could have foreseen.—
Jacob Tanswell,
New York Times,
25 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Adumbrate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/adumbrate. Accessed 5 Jun. 2026.
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