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
  • As all of this finale drama is happening around him, Danny gets increasingly drunker, foreshadowing absolutely nothing good coming our way.
    — Ile-Ife Okantah, Vulture, 30 July 2026
  • The piece foreshadows Saar’s penchant for transforming common items into near-mystical objects with seemingly simple flourishes that belie complex themes.
    — Jessica Gelt, Los Angeles Times, 28 July 2026
Definition of foreshadow
Verb
  • Fernando anticipates an impact crater nearly 90 feet across and 16 feet deep (27 meters across and 5 meters deep), too small to see from Earth but visible to spacecraft.
    — Marcia Dunn, Fortune, 1 Aug. 2026
  • First, the system has been overwhelmed with disputes — millions more than government officials had anticipated.
    — Lisa Jarvis, Mercury News, 1 Aug. 2026
Definition of anticipate
Verb
  • On the city’s West Side, the site of storied clubs such as Silvio’s as well as the Maxwell Street Market, blues musicians developed a style of electric blues in the 1950s that typically included a horn section (prefiguring soul music).
    — René Ostberg, Encyclopedia Britannica, 29 July 2026
  • 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
Definition of prefigure
Verb
  • So far, the models used to predict and plan for sea level rise, for instance, aren’t even taking it into account.
    — Denise Hruby, Miami Herald, 31 July 2026
  • So reasoning traces, the very things that supposedly distinguish LRMs from the mere next-word-predicting LLMs, are not necessarily either meaningful or causal to a model’s … reasoning?
    — John Pavlus, Quanta Magazine, 31 July 2026
Definition of predict
Verb
  • In summary, the Big Mysteries Survey suggests that physicists are more divided on many foundational questions than popular accounts often imply.
    — Cynthia Zarin, Harpers Magazine, 4 Aug. 2026
  • On Monday, general manager Brian Cashman implied the Tigers and Orioles asked for Lombard in potential deals for Tarik Skubal and Adley Rutschman, who were acquired by the Dodgers and Red Sox, respectively.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 4 Aug. 2026
Definition of imply
Verb
  • And such momentous changes as bringing back Eric Bieniemy as offensive coordinator and the Chiefs signing Super Bowl MVP Kenneth Walker III to revive their running game heralded Reid’s recognition of the moment.
    — Vahe Gregorian July 31, Kansas City Star, 31 July 2026
  • Homer’s works have long been heralded for highlighting the physical and psychological wounds of war.
    — Amy S. Badura-Brack, The Conversation, 30 July 2026
Definition of herald
Verb
  • Abiel Garcia, partner at law firm Kesselman Brantly Stockinger, who formerly served as California’s deputy attorney general, doesn’t foresee any possibility of a settlement.
    — Brent Lang, Variety, 5 Aug. 2026
  • However, 76% of Wall Street traders foresee a rate hike in September, according to the CME FedWatch tool.
    — Yuri Kageyama, Fortune, 29 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 7 Aug. 2026.

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