Synonyms of harbingers

harbingers 1 of 2

noun

plural of harbinger

as in forerunners

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

• forerunners
• heralds
• precursors
• signs
• symptoms
• angels
• outriders
• foretastes
• messengers
• portents
• forewarnings
• foregoers
• omens
• criers
• proclaimers
• advertisers
• runners
• foreshadowings
• presages
• announcers
• forebodings
• bellwethers
• auguries
• couriers
• auspices
• foreboders
• bodings
• foreshadowers
• blazoners
• marks

harbingers

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of harbinger

as in heralds

to give a slight indication of beforehand

the hope that the housing slump does not harbinger a general economic recession

Synonyms & Similar Words

• heralds
• foreshadows
• predicts
• implies
• prefigures
• adumbrates
• anticipates
• foresees
• foretells
• foreruns
• portends
• presages
• prophesies
• suggests
• forecasts
• bodes
• hints
• prognosticates
• augurs
• promises
• forebodes
• alludes
• forewarns
• foreknows
• connotes
• intimates
• insinuates

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of harbingers

Noun

Then, after a series of eerie harbingers, the Platts discover the power and water in the house have shut off in the aftermath of an intense storm, and the atmosphere outside has turned unsettling and oddly tropical. — Alison Willmore, Vulture, 12 Aug. 2026

The world looked to the social elite as the ultimate harbingers of style trends and sophistication, giving them a cultural cache and, in turn, a sense of power. — Moises Mendez Ii, InStyle, 29 June 2026

If canaries in coal mines were harbingers of safe conditions, surely piping plovers at Waukegan Beach mean the city is overcoming its polluted past. — Charles Selle, Chicago Tribune, 4 May 2026

In recent years, there have also been reports of vandalism and attacks on robotaxis and delivery robots, which some see as harbingers of a high-tech future not everyone asked for. — Clare Duffy, CNN Money, 17 Apr. 2026

Along with asparagus, hearty leafy greens, peas, and ramps, garlic scapes are among the first harbingers of an entire season of garden fun ahead. — Karla Walsh, Better Homes & Gardens, 14 Apr. 2026

If popular wine auction results are truly harbingers of pendulum swings in the world of wine, then Cabernet Franc is having a moment. — Mike Desimone, Robb Report, 29 Mar. 2026

At worst, communications can be harbingers of disaster or indifference if they’re not done effectively. — Pam Abrahamsson, Forbes.com, 20 Mar. 2026

Shards of glass cut into my palms and shins, while the wind hurled sharp granules of ice into my face, harbingers of a storm that was already approaching from the west. — New York Times, 16 Mar. 2026