as in predicted
formal + literary
to be a sign or warning that something usually bad or unpleasant is going to happen
The distant thunder portended a storm. If you're superstitious, a black cat portends trouble.
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Recent Examples of portended
For the first four laps of the final race in the men’s speedskating team pursuit, with Lehman in the middle of a trio of Americans who arrived in Milan with the solitary goal of winning gold, Team USA held a growing lead that portended the sort of finish Lehman and his teammates envisioned.
—
Andrew Carter, Chicago Tribune, 17 Feb. 2026
That loss portended woe for Winnipeg, beginning its freefall.
—Andrew Knoll, Daily News, 8 Jan. 2026
And Smith was certain that these two short plays portended a great future for the twenty-year-old in the dramatic arts.
—Literary Hub, 12 Dec. 2025
Martin County’s anti-development history portended a quick and certain rejection by the county commission.
—Jeffrey Steele, Forbes.com, 22 Aug. 2025
Andrew Carter, Chicago Tribune, 17 Feb. 2026
That loss portended woe for Winnipeg, beginning its freefall.
—Andrew Knoll, Daily News, 8 Jan. 2026
And Smith was certain that these two short plays portended a great future for the twenty-year-old in the dramatic arts.
—Literary Hub, 12 Dec. 2025
Martin County’s anti-development history portended a quick and certain rejection by the county commission.
—Jeffrey Steele, Forbes.com, 22 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for portended
Verb
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In November last year, Rheinmetall predicted its sales would quintuple over the next five years, boosted by robust demand for its weapons systems amid geopolitical tensions and the war in Ukraine.—
Elsa Ohlen,
CNBC,
11 Mar. 2026
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The area will see peak temperatures Thursday and Friday with highs predicted to reach around 97 in Downtown Los Angeles, 95 in Long Beach, and 97 in Burbank.—
Andrea Klick,
Oc Register,
10 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Harris has promised moderation and a focus on the district's problems, contrasting himself with Greene's bomb-throwing style.—
JEFF AMY AND SOPHIE BATES THE ASSOCIATED PRESS,
Arkansas Online,
11 Mar. 2026
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The second half would be as testy as the first half promised, with neither team leading by more than three points until a late 9-0 run from the Falcons gave them a 63-57 edge with 2 minutes remaining.—
Shaun Goodwin,
Idaho Statesman,
10 Mar. 2026
Verb
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That boded well for a 2008 conversation at Seiller's home.—
Amanda Hancock,
Louisville Courier Journal,
6 Mar. 2026
-
Last year’s first-round pick, defensive tackle Kenneth Grant and second-round pick, guard Jonah Savaiinaea, along with a slew of late-round finds, can get a full offseason of development, which boded well for Paul going into his second season.—
David Furones,
Sun Sentinel,
6 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The affair between Clark and Carol called for some fairly ridiculous, kinky and specific acts in a hotel room.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
10 Mar. 2026
-
Boise State would hang around for the final two-minute period, which stretched to about 30 minutes of actual time, as both teams repeatedly sent each other to the free-throw line and called timeouts.—
Shaun Goodwin,
Idaho Statesman,
10 Mar. 2026
Verb
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His first bitter taste of the majors presaged many more setbacks to come.—
Tyler Kepner,
New York Times,
26 Feb. 2026
-
Yet the demands of modernity produced some humane outcomes that also presaged the future.—
Drew Gilpin Faust,
The Atlantic,
8 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Leading up to the release of the financial results, other figures foretold the company’s weak performance.—
Andrea Guzmán,
Austin American Statesman,
29 Jan. 2026
-
Yang foretold his exit, coincidentally or not, in April.—
Tony Maglio,
HollywoodReporter,
19 Dec. 2025
Verb
-
That may sound like a funny thing to say, in 2025, or in any year since the legendary rock singer-songwriter died in 2003, given a perennial underdog status that never augured for anything that would be likely to be called a posthumous groundswell, per se.—
Chris Willman,
Variety,
24 Oct. 2025
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Husseini attempted to ply him with patronage, appointing him imam of a new mosque, but the cleric’s burgeoning following augured poorly for Husseini’s grip on power.—
Sean Durns,
The Washington Examiner,
12 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
In his autobiography, Wright discusses how his mother prophesied his future as an architect, decorating his nursery with buildings to encourage this development.—
Carrie Hojnicki,
Architectural Digest,
20 Feb. 2026
-
People were told that artificial intelligence was the final asteroid in the extinction event prophesied by Trevor Horn, and further told that generative models and algorithmic composition would democratize creation until value ceased to exist.—
William Jones,
Miami Herald,
14 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Portended.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/portended. Accessed 13 Mar. 2026.
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