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
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Recent Examples of harbinger
Gwendolyn Rak, IEEE Spectrum, 24 Sep. 2025
Regulus is the brightest star in the constellation Leo the Lion, and is known as a harbinger of spring in the northern hemisphere, Star Walk says.
—Jenna Prestininzi, Freep.com, 19 Sep. 2025
Just as cafes were a harbinger of revolution in France and elsewhere, today coffee is a harbinger of a changing climate for food and drink.
—Marianne Krasny, Forbes.com, 16 Sep. 2025
Their emergence is being seen by scientists who track the spread of opioids around the country as a harbinger of a much different, more variable landscape of drugs about which comparatively little is known.
—Connor Greene, Time, 16 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for harbinger
Noun
The trend may be a harbinger for more widespread changes, and the researchers plan to continue tracking the data.
—Gwendolyn Rak, IEEE Spectrum, 24 Sep. 2025
Regulus is the brightest star in the constellation Leo the Lion, and is known as a harbinger of spring in the northern hemisphere, Star Walk says.
—Jenna Prestininzi, Freep.com, 19 Sep. 2025
Just as cafes were a harbinger of revolution in France and elsewhere, today coffee is a harbinger of a changing climate for food and drink.
—Marianne Krasny, Forbes.com, 16 Sep. 2025
Their emergence is being seen by scientists who track the spread of opioids around the country as a harbinger of a much different, more variable landscape of drugs about which comparatively little is known.
—Connor Greene, Time, 16 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for harbinger
Recent Examples of Synonyms for harbinger
Noun
-
Marie, Andre, Jordan, and Emma put down the supe uprising, but then psychotic fascist Homelander showed up to condemn them as villains and herald the murderous Cate and Sam as top students and potential recruits for the thoroughly corrupt Seven.—
EW Staff,
Entertainment Weekly,
19 Sep. 2025
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But Choi and Dang are no longer liberica’s sole heralds.—
Alex Mayyasi,
Saveur,
10 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
In this melancholy-comic subversion of a rags-to-riches story Karl’s empathetic musings about those less fortunate immigrants foreshadow his subsequent downhill trajectory.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
6 Oct. 2025
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Your character also returns to Italy, hiding under a blanket, which was a moment foreshadowed in the very beginning.—
Giana Levy,
Variety,
1 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Compared to their forerunners in the tsarist era, with their party congresses held abroad, their executive committees, and their active recruitment in imperial Russia’s universities, Soviet dissidents remained a comparatively small and informal conglomeration of activists.—
Benjamin Nathans
September 24,
Literary Hub,
24 Sep. 2025
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The event turned out to be a forerunner to the UN Earth Summit.—
Ted Johnson,
Deadline,
16 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Let’s tie it all together by predicting that the first meeting of the season between Toronto and Philadelphia gets well and truly out of control … which by today’s standards means there are three fights in the game.—
Sean McIndoe,
New York Times,
7 Oct. 2025
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High geopolitical volatility makes predicting the market’s future even more difficult than usual, a Reuters columnist argued.—
Matthew Martin,
semafor.com,
6 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Once most of the ticker tape had been cleared from the pitch, and the game finally started, all this seemed to have rattled the Netherlands, who played an unusually physical brand of football, perhaps a precursor to their infamous 2010 final display against Spain.—
Michael Cox,
New York Times,
5 Oct. 2025
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With Tagovailoa, however, that off-the-field chemistry has always been a precursor to what happens in between the lines.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
4 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
The most significant jump in imports into Italy was from China, up 18 percent in the period, implying that many fast fashion players are gaining Italians over.—
Martino Carrera,
Footwear News,
7 Oct. 2025
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After praising the male LGBTQIA+ members of their friendship circle, Consuelos then implied a wilder theory about the heterosexual female friends in Ripa's life.—
Joey Nolfi,
Entertainment Weekly,
7 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
The kids associate helicopters with life flights to the local hospital, a sign that someone has been seriously injured, Cornelison said.—
John Wisely,
Freep.com,
3 Oct. 2025
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Eddie Howe will hope Newcastle’s 4-0 thumping of USG is the first sign of their new-look front line gelling, with Nick Woltemade, Anthony Gordon (two penalties) and Harvey Barnes all on target.—
Anantaajith Raghuraman,
New York Times,
2 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Andersen’s story may have prefigured this moment, although no major actor in the war wants to be the boy.—
MICHAEL KIMMAGE,
Foreign Affairs,
19 Aug. 2025
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This early embrace of mechanical rhythm prefigured what would later become a foundation of hip-hop and electronic music.—
Jose Valentino Ruiz,
The Conversation,
13 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Harbinger.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/harbinger. Accessed 8 Oct. 2025.
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