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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of portent
The company’s example was seen by many as a portent of the AI future.
—
Geoff Colvin,
Fortune,
12 Apr. 2026
Rather than receiving traditional care, however, Hylton was unwittingly plunged into a cold experiment in using remote work to offset hospital staffing shortages, which could be a grim portent in an age of AI automation.
—
Frank Landymore,
Futurism,
8 Apr. 2026
This was only a portent of things to come — the protests were dwarfed by massive protests and riots against the regime in September 2022-2023, then the largest protests in December 2025 to January 2026.
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Brady Knox,
The Washington Examiner,
28 Mar. 2026
That seemed a portent of more to come as the June primary inches ever closer.
—
Mark Z. Barabak,
Mercury News,
25 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for portent
Geoff Colvin,
Fortune,
12 Apr. 2026
Rather than receiving traditional care, however, Hylton was unwittingly plunged into a cold experiment in using remote work to offset hospital staffing shortages, which could be a grim portent in an age of AI automation.
—
Frank Landymore,
Futurism,
8 Apr. 2026
This was only a portent of things to come — the protests were dwarfed by massive protests and riots against the regime in September 2022-2023, then the largest protests in December 2025 to January 2026.
—
Brady Knox,
The Washington Examiner,
28 Mar. 2026
That seemed a portent of more to come as the June primary inches ever closer.
—
Mark Z. Barabak,
Mercury News,
25 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for portent
Recent Examples of Synonyms for portent
Noun
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The group, which includes Chrysler, Fiat, Peugeot and Citroen, is becoming a forerunner in the promising progress of a new type of vehicle battery.
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In 2007, the Oatley family opened Qualia, their 30-acre flagship property and the forerunner of Australia’s luxury lodges.
Noun
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Before Camilo Doval performed a miracle Thursday night by providing the White Sox with an ever-so-rare victory at Yankee Stadium, the Yankees had gone 9-4 since Aaron Judge left the lineup with a stress fracture in his rib.
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Considering Trout missed 383 of the Angels’ 648 regular season games—playing in only 266 from 2021 to 2024 because of broken bones, soft tissue and knee injuries—the resurgence is somewhat of a miracle.
Noun
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And what might be a good omen has been unearthed during the building activity at Sojourner Place at Park.
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Long before scientists understood solar wind or magnetism, people associated auroras with spirits, omens, warriors, or celestial beings.
Noun
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In part, that must be put down to a push phenomenon of ever more talent coming onto the market.
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Other Heliconius species also have impressively lengthy lives, enduring between 106 to 277 days, according to a study on the phenomenon published Tuesday in the journal Nature Communications.
Noun
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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.
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Scouts and Raiders is billed as telling the true origin story of the WWII commando unit of the same name, a precursor to the Navy SEALs, including its heavy recruitment of collegiate and professional football players.
Noun
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This avoidance tactic can explain the modern mismatch between sounds and spelling in wolf, wood and wonder.
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No wonder Yard Act realized music is the lifeline that just might pull us back out of the muck.
Noun
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What drags the installment down, however, is the sheer predictability and lack of dissent, with seven out of the nine votes being unanimous — a foreshadowing of seasons to come.
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With Hokum’s foreshadowing of a downbeat conclusion — and considering the rest of McCarthy’s filmography — Ohm’s survival feels unlikely.
Noun
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Gomez shared a video taken prior to the ceremony in which Swift marvels at her pal.
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Observe black cockatoos preen in the drooping she-oaks, or marvel at the Dali-esque outback, filled with its skeletal mallee trees.
Cite this Entry
“Portent.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/portent. Accessed 26 Jun. 2026.
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