as in herald
one that announces or indicates the later arrival of another
her father's successful job interview was seen as a harbinger of better times to come
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
as in to herald
to give a slight indication of beforehand
the hope that the housing slump does not harbinger a general economic recession
Synonyms & Similar Words
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 harbinger
Jackie Strause, HollywoodReporter, 14 Apr. 2025
Those declines were harbingers of monetary hardship that in some cases lasted for years before the economy began to recover.
—George Petras, USA Today, 7 Apr. 2025
So their arrival in the world of the New Avengers may be a harbinger of scary things to come.
—Eliana Dockterman, Time, 2 May 2025
Was Clase’s poor showing against the New York Yankees in last season’s playoffs a harbinger of pending problems?
—Bernie Pleskoff, Forbes.com, 1 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for harbinger
Noun
Ashley Lyle, Bart Nickerson and Jonathan Lisco said that was a harbinger about Misty always being involved in Nat’s death.
—Jackie Strause, HollywoodReporter, 14 Apr. 2025
Those declines were harbingers of monetary hardship that in some cases lasted for years before the economy began to recover.
—George Petras, USA Today, 7 Apr. 2025
So their arrival in the world of the New Avengers may be a harbinger of scary things to come.
—Eliana Dockterman, Time, 2 May 2025
Was Clase’s poor showing against the New York Yankees in last season’s playoffs a harbinger of pending problems?
—Bernie Pleskoff, Forbes.com, 1 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for harbinger
Recent Examples of Synonyms for harbinger
Noun
-
Like the Marvel comics, Shalla-Bal is the herald of Galactus, a planet-devouring behemoth who is voiced by Ralph Ineson in the movie.—
Jordan Moreau,
Variety,
24 Apr. 2025
-
In the original comics, the Silver Surfer was Norrin Radd, a male astronomer from the planet Zenn-La who became the herald of Galactus.—
Thomas G. Moukawsher,
MSNBC Newsweek,
17 Apr. 2025
Verb
-
The show also has a habit of using certain songs to foreshadow particularly tragic moments.—
Erin Clack,
People.com,
11 May 2025
-
The security threat hanging over the Victory Day parade in Moscow potentially foreshadows the looming challenges for the Kremlin in its ongoing war in Ukraine, which shows precious little sign of abating.—
Matthew Chance,
CNN Money,
8 May 2025
Noun
-
While his Late Night forerunner Letterman was probably the comedic polestar of Generation X—gruff, cynical, and biting the hand that fed—O’Brien became a bedrock influence for the next generation of Millennial comics.—
David Sims,
The Atlantic,
22 Mar. 2025
-
The New York Dolls were forerunners of punk, and the band's style -- teased hair, women's clothes and lots of makeup -- inspired the glam movement that took up residence in heavy metal a decade later in bands like Faster Pussycat and Mötley Crüe.—
MARK KENNEDY THE ASSOCIATED PRESS,
arkansasonline.com,
2 Mar. 2025
Verb
-
Ultimately, the company’s ambition is to build a computational model that captures the behaviours of every molecule inside a living cell and to predict how each of these molecules will change with health, disease or exposure to drugs.—
David Prosser,
Forbes.com,
20 May 2025
-
Scientists predict that within the next 15 years this ice cap will disappear in summer for the first time in millennia, accelerating global warming.—
Alec Luhn,
Scientific American,
20 May 2025
Noun
-
Passionate about utopian socialism and architecture, Gaudí’s forms and shapes were totally fresh, otherworldly and are sometimes referred to as a precursor of the Surrealist movement, of which Salvator Dalí was a key proponent.—
Sofia Celeste,
Footwear News,
8 May 2025
-
Back then, President Barack Obama cancelled the space agency’s Constellation program—the precursor of Artemis, which was aiming to have bootprints back on the moon as early as 2015.—
Jeffrey Kluger,
Time,
6 May 2025
Verb
-
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
-
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
Noun
-
So Like most Taurus signs, Daphne is bullheaded and controlling regarding her three daughters — especially Milly.—
Lisa Stardust,
People.com,
11 May 2025
-
Allowing imperfection to show—rather than keeping up appearances—is both a sign of intimacy and a precondition for it.—
Rhaina Cohen,
The Atlantic,
11 May 2025
Verb
-
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
-
It is also prefigured (another Biblical device) by Pharaoh’s order, in Exodus, to kill all male babies born to Hebrew mothers.—
Louis Menand,
The New Yorker,
13 Jan. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Harbinger.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/harbinger. Accessed 25 May. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share