Thesaurus results for PORTENTS

portents

noun

plural of portent

as in omens

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

Relevance

as in miracles

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

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of portents Always alert to mood swings, Hollywood this week is coping with some dauntingly positive portents. — Peter Bart, Deadline, 25 June 2026 But there is reason for hope, because the season-one finale of Widow’s Bay is like a beacon in the dark, and all the signs and portents are lining up. — Kathryn Vanarendonk, Vulture, 17 June 2026 In the shadows of the long-hut, the elders muttered among themselves—of portents and crops and weather and the storage of grain. — Maggie O’Farrell, Literary Hub, 2 June 2026 Hurley says there are already portents of future protests against SpaceX’s plan, sparked by its lofting just 10,000 Starlink satellites so far into low Earth orbit. — Kevin Holden Platt, Forbes.com, 14 May 2026 By the end of 1857, no one knew the crack-up of the Union was coming in three years, or that the nation would be in a civil war in four, but the portents were bleak. — Jake Lundberg, The Atlantic, 12 Feb. 2026 Black cats can be portents of bad luck. — Randall Colburn, Entertainment Weekly, 27 Nov. 2025 As portents go, after a testing summer for Newcastle, this did not look altogether positive. — The Athletic Uk Staff, New York Times, 20 Aug. 2025 Advertisement Mamdani’s performance as mayor would be scrutinized for portents of the Democrats’ future. — Mark Chiusano, Time, 14 Aug. 2025

Recent Examples of Synonyms for portents

Noun

No omens, no fear—just another extraordinarily beautiful experience locked into memory.

— Stephen Clark, ArsTechnica, 17 Aug. 2026
Black cats can be seen as bad omens, sometimes associated with witches and with the old superstition to not let a black cat cross your path.

— Maddie Rhodes, USA Today, 17 Aug. 2026

Definition of omens

Noun

Since then, southern Italians have attributed all sorts of miracles to his intercession, including extinguishing the volcanic fires of Mount Vesuvius in 1631.

— Clare Whitton, The Conversation, 17 Sep. 2026
A number of cases of possible miracles are under review at the Vatican.

— Joe Holden, CBS News, 15 Sep. 2026

Definition of miracles

Noun

See Star-Telegram high school sports editor Charles Baggarly and reporter Darren Lauber’s predictions for 20 Fort Worth-area games.

— Charles Baggarly, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 17 Sep. 2026
For decades, astronomers studying the surroundings of the Milky Way have determined there are too few dwarf satellite galaxies orbiting our own galaxy when compared to predictions made by the standard model of cosmology.

— Robert Lea, Space.com, 17 Sep. 2026

Definition of predictions

Noun

The Scene The Bayeux Tapestry, which went on display in the British Museum this week, is one of the wonders of the medieval world.

— Andrew Edgecliffe-Johnson, semafor.com, 11 Sep. 2026
The analog Chicago that the Dessens currently occupy has left so much room for technological development that Velocity Tech is producing wonders at a remarkable clip, from microprocessors to portable telephones.

— Scott Tobias, Vulture, 11 Sep. 2026

Definition of wonders

Noun

Surrounded by towering trees, Kitch-iti-kipi’s surface pulls rich green and teal hues during the spring and summer; splashes of orange and yellow during the fall; and hints of white come winter.

— Savannah Born, Travel + Leisure, 17 Sep. 2026
Longoria’s hair was set in a deep part and styled in beachy face-framing waves, while her makeup was bright and bronzy with hints of peachy pink to compliment the star’s skintone.

— Amina Ayoud, Footwear News, 14 Sep. 2026

Definition of hints

Noun

An Amazon subcontracted delivery driver marvels at the company’s surveillance of his work combined with their hands-off attitude towards any liability.

— Vikram Murthi, IndieWire, 9 Sep. 2026
Here, age-old traditions fuse with contemporary flavors, archaeological marvels meet modernist museums, rugged peaks are juxtaposed against verdant plains, and stretches of sandy shorelines lead to charming inland villages.

— Condé Nast Traveler, Condé Nast Traveler, 3 Sep. 2026

Definition of marvels

Noun

The project heralds from Israeli filmmakers Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor, two of the four co-directors behind 2025 Oscar-winning documentary No Other Land.

— Andreas Wiseman, Deadline, 24 Aug. 2026
Now Pedicularis had emerged as one of the first heralds of the Arctic summer, its stems wrapped in grayish, silky hairs that protect it like a warm winter coat.

— Denise Hruby, Miami Herald, 21 Aug. 2026

Definition of heralds

Noun

Zidar and Zwick have some suggestions for how to change this.

— John Lanchester, New Yorker, 14 Sep. 2026
Many suggestions have circulated about who could be the next 007 agent in the James Bond film franchise, and Pierce Brosnan has a new take on where the studio could go.

— Armando Tinoco, Deadline, 13 Sep. 2026

Definition of suggestions

Browse Nearby Words

portentous

portents

porter

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Portents.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/portents. Accessed 21 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of portents

noun

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

elegiac

Popular in Grammar & Usage

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Popular in Wordplay

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary

Words from the 'Odyssey'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Words of the Week - Sept. 18

Popular

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary

Games & Quizzes