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
Relevance
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
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Recent Examples of harbingers
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
If nothing else, Kidman should rally the rest of her Big Little Lies castmates as a roving band of blonde soothsayers and harbingers of eternal sleep.
—
Fran Hoepfner,
Vulture,
14 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
Noun
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
If nothing else, Kidman should rally the rest of her Big Little Lies castmates as a roving band of blonde soothsayers and harbingers of eternal sleep.
—
Fran Hoepfner,
Vulture,
14 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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for harbingers
Noun
-
Even the Hammurabi Code, a set of laws created by the sixth Babylonian king in approximately 1760 bce, established forerunners of today’s interest rate and minimum wage laws.
-
The Norwegian ended his season before the Olympics to further recover from a shoulder injury, but attended the finals as one of the forerunners, who test a course shortly before a race starts.
Verb
-
Of that total, 75 were by Elon Musk’s SpaceX, whose recent splashy IPO heralds how lucrative this next chapter of commercial spaceflight could be.
-
The film heralds from co-writers and co-directors Sophie Cohen and Michael Lindsay and is produced by 16oz Films in association with House of Vixens.
Noun
-
Essentially, this transition marks the point where our cells are set up with the precursors required for organ formation, one of the most critical events in human development.
-
Earth-impacting shrapnel from those primordial upheavals may have helped seed our planet with the precursors for life, delivering water and organic compounds from the dark, icy depths of the outer solar system.
Verb
-
This also foreshadows the difficult reality that our talent model must evolve in tandem.
-
Earlier poem-scrolls appear here, too, written in a style that foreshadows the graffiti Wong would come to love decades later.
Noun
-
And the deals extend well beyond skin care, with discounts on hair and makeup products that address everything from early signs of thinning hair and sparse brows to dull complexions in need of a natural-looking flush.
-
Chopper 4 flew over the detention center and observed no visible signs that the facility was being dismantled.
Verb
-
The British betting company William Hill predicts that soccer fans will throw back more than 5 million pints of beer in stadiums and fan zones during this year's World Cup.
-
Peter Supino of Wolfe Research predicts a WBD-like bidding war for NBCU, with Netflix among those apt to circle.
Noun
-
While most people who get infected with WNV have no symptoms, one in 150 may develop more serious illnesses like brain inflammation, paralysis or death.
-
Oura rings are beloved for their ability to track steps, monitor sleep, and even catch illnesses before symptoms begin.
Verb
-
That implies a total domestic gross in the $100-108 million range.
-
As the title implies, things don’t go well.
Cite this Entry
“Harbingers.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/harbingers. Accessed 2 Jul. 2026.
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