1
as in forerunner
something believed to be a sign or warning of a future event
a red sky in the morning can be a portent of a coming storm
Synonyms & Similar Words
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2
as in miracle
something extraordinary or surprising
a scout was sent to have a look at this teenage pitcher who was supposed to be the latest portent of the baseball world
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of portent
Appearances aren’t deceptive; the portents are grim.
—
Christian Schneider, National Review, 12 June 2025
Thus, the negative GDP change should not be taken as a portent of looming disaster.
—Bill Conerly, Forbes.com, 6 May 2025
Unbeknown to player and club, the transfer carried portents of the sombre fate that awaited him.
—Tom Williams, New York Times, 21 Apr. 2025
But contemporary critics such as Arthur Kropp, the president in 1991 of the progressive advocacy group People for the American Way, did see the dustup as a portent way back then.
—Daniel Engber, The Atlantic, 18 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for portent
Christian Schneider, National Review, 12 June 2025
Thus, the negative GDP change should not be taken as a portent of looming disaster.
—Bill Conerly, Forbes.com, 6 May 2025
Unbeknown to player and club, the transfer carried portents of the sombre fate that awaited him.
—Tom Williams, New York Times, 21 Apr. 2025
But contemporary critics such as Arthur Kropp, the president in 1991 of the progressive advocacy group People for the American Way, did see the dustup as a portent way back then.
—Daniel Engber, The Atlantic, 18 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for portent
Recent Examples of Synonyms for portent
Noun
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Previously Fefferman was a key player at Radius, the indie-film company co-founded by Tom Quinn that was a forerunner to his highly successful banner Neon.—
Ethan Millman,
HollywoodReporter,
6 Aug. 2025
-
Lehrer was the forerunner of musical comedians like Weird Al Yankovic, Rachel Bloom, and the Lonely Island.—
Bethy Squires,
Vulture,
28 July 2025
Noun
-
Miranda stays calm throughout, which is sort of a miracle, but the interesting thing here is Joy’s reaction.—
Maggie Fremont,
Vulture,
8 Aug. 2025
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There were just a lot of miracles along the way that allowed this to be made.—
Zac Ntim,
Deadline,
8 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
There are plenty of good omens for Bayern despite the immense quality of their opponents.—
Darren Richman,
New York Times,
5 July 2025
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For England head coach Lee Carsley, positive omens surrounded him before this summer’s Under-21 European Championship had even begun.—
Art de Roché,
New York Times,
28 June 2025
Noun
-
Northern Canada and Alaska will have the highest likelihood of viewing the phenomenon, once the sun sets in the state.—
Ty Roush,
Forbes.com,
8 Aug. 2025
-
The Gilded Age has been a true word-of-mouth phenomenon.—
Katie Campione,
Deadline,
7 Aug. 2025
Noun
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The orientation meeting Monday was a precursor to the launch of The Faithful Accompaniment in Trust and Hope, or FAITH, a pilot program that will have religious leaders and volunteers present at San Diego’s immigration court to offer spiritual support, comfort and prayer to those who need it.—
Alexandra Mendoza,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
5 Aug. 2025
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The Florida court contrived a weird and arbitrary compromise, granting new sentencing hearings only to death row prisoners whose sentences were considered final after 2002, when the U.S. court issued a decision that was a precursor to Hurst’s.—
Orlando Sentinel,
The Orlando Sentinel,
29 July 2025
Noun
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Alves devoted part of that speech to the wonders of this country by providing the blessings of freedom and opportunity to people like him.—
Kevin Rennie,
Hartford Courant,
16 Aug. 2025
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The solipsism of low self-esteem is one of the wonders of the human psyche.—
Vivian Gornick,
New Yorker,
16 Aug. 2025
Noun
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In a foreshadowing of what her later critics would call her victim-blaming, Ms. Brownmiller argued that Ms. Nussbaum was not a passive victim and should have been held partly accountable for the girl’s death.—
Katharine Q. Seelye,
New York Times,
26 May 2025
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Was that foreshadowing of a win for the 25-year-old New York nurse (and Bryan)?—
Christopher Kuhagen,
jsonline.com,
13 July 2025
Noun
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Themes Woven from Everyday Wonder Rather than searching for drama, Bone Flute leans into the quiet marvels of everyday experience.—
Nia Bowers,
USA Today,
12 Aug. 2025
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On Helgoland, researchers presented a parade of technological marvels that all depend on the quantum math of Heisenberg and Schrödinger.—
Quanta Magazine,
Quanta Magazine,
8 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Portent.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/portent. Accessed 21 Aug. 2025.
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