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
-
Republican strategist Jim Merrill, a top New Hampshire adviser for Rubio's 2016 presidential bid, predicted that Iran would become a flashpoint in 2028 — just as the Iraq war was for Democrats in 2004 and 2008.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
1 Apr. 2026
-
Republican strategist Jim Merrill, a top New Hampshire adviser for Rubio’s 2016 presidential bid, predicted that Iran would become a flashpoint in 2028 — just as the Iraq war was for Democrats in 2004 and 2008.—
Michelle L. Price,
Los Angeles Times,
1 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Trump promised early on that the war would likely not last beyond six weeks.—
Michael Loria,
USA Today,
1 Apr. 2026
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Vance promised that the spike is temporary and prices will fall after the war has ended.—
Spencer Kimball,
CNBC,
31 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
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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
-
After the fight was called, Barber lay on the canvas for a few minutes, looking around and breathing heavily, while UFC trainers evaluated her.—
Kyle Newman,
Denver Post,
31 Mar. 2026
-
Les Grenadiers, as the team is often called, were in the midst of a magical run through the regional tournament that determined which teams from North America would earn a place in the 2026 World Cup.—
Albert Samaha,
New Yorker,
31 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
His first bitter taste of the majors presaged many more setbacks to come.—
Tyler Kepner,
New York Times,
26 Feb. 2026
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Yet the demands of modernity produced some humane outcomes that also presaged the future.—
Drew Gilpin Faust,
The Atlantic,
8 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Their four-volume distillation of all aspects of the Pittsburgh economy foretold the decline the region would face due to the shifting economic geography of the steel industry and Pittsburgh’s extreme lack of industrial diversification – things local leaders commonly saw as strengths.—
Christopher Briem,
The Conversation,
25 Mar. 2026
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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
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
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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 3 Apr. 2026.
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