PRE-SAGE Synonyms: 91 Similar and Opposite Words

presage 1 of 2

noun

ˈpre-sij

Definition of presage

as in feel

a feeling that something bad will happen I had a nagging presage that the results of my medical tests would not be good

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

as in forerunner

something believed to be a sign or warning of a future event the sight of the first robin is always a welcome presage of spring

Synonyms & Similar Words

presage

2 of 2

verb

ˈpre-sij

as in to predict

to tell of or describe beforehand people used to believe that a comet presaged a major event, such as the death of a king

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 presage

Noun

The company is facing similar litigation in Nevada — and while the injunction is only temporary, and focuses on sports betting, the legal action presages the broader efforts by states to protect the lucrative revenue gambling brings in. — Rohan Goswami, semafor.com, 22 Jan. 2026 For Swain, the rise of directs presages nothing less than a revolution in the world’s financial markets. — Shawn Tully, Fortune, 1 Nov. 2025

Verb

Frazier’s performance presaged Jalen Brunson’s recent 45-point, Game 5 effort on 14-for-27 shooting, 4-for-7 beyond the three-point stripe, by almost six decades and prompted Bradley to wax eloquent after the Knicks’ latest stunning comeback. — Barry M. Bloom, Forbes.com, 15 June 2026 After hearing these songs, the happier ones at the beginning of the album reveal bits of shadow that Rodrigo has built into them to presage what’s to come — to presage what always comes. — Mikael Wood, Los Angeles Times, 12 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for presage

Recent Examples of Synonyms for presage

Noun

Fire team president Clare Hamill said the owner had a strong hand in the vision for the feel of the facility.

— Tamerra Griffin, New York Times, 22 Aug. 2026
The timeless classic actually helps soften the extreme feel of the barrel shape to create something endlessly wearable.

— Lucía Tejo, Glamour, 22 Aug. 2026

Definition of feel

Noun

Margaret and Alice are the forerunners of Lucy and Ethel, and Shakespeare’s comedy, written expressly to entertain, gives us a sense of what an Elizabethan-era situation comedy might look like.

— Theater Critic, Los Angeles Times, 23 July 2026
One of the forerunners today in Madeira and the Azores is António Maçanita from Azores Wine Company.

— Forbes.com, Forbes.com, 20 July 2026

Definition of forerunner

Noun

In this high silk topper The Big Bambino was on top of the world with no premonition that a serious throat ailment would lead to his death in a few short years.

— AJ Willingham, AJC.com, 17 Aug. 2026
But Naipaul reminds us about how ubiquitous premonitions of catastrophe and doom were in the 1970s.

— James Kirchick, The Atlantic, 13 Aug. 2026

Definition of premonition

Noun

Things are also tough for their friends, Elle (Yasmin Finney) and Tao (William Gao), whose constant bickering seems to be an ominous portent for their on-again-off-again relationship.

— David Mack, CNN Money, 17 July 2026
The push for the category, which comes after Hot Ones earned Daytime Emmys noms in 2022 and 2023, carries symbolic portent, given the category’s housing of traditional late night; a nomination would truly signal a passing of the torch.

— Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 8 July 2026

Definition of portent

Noun

The frenzy followed Beijing’s decision in the mid-1980s to ban imports of almost all blood products – except human albumin – amid growing fears over the global HIV/AIDS crisis.

— CNN Staff, CNN Money, 23 Aug. 2026
Now, as my anxiety climbed, the smell was becoming inseparable from the fear.

— Ledio Cakaj, New Yorker, 22 Aug. 2026

Definition of fear

Noun

In recent weeks, family members of Lincoln service members voiced worries about deteriorating mental health conditions aboard the ship, as well as sanitary conditions and food shortages.

— Khaled Wassef, CBS News, 21 Aug. 2026
That reflects how the world's second-largest economy remains insulated from global capital markets — and faces a deflationary environment, in contrast to inflation worries elsewhere.

— Evelyn Cheng, CNBC, 20 Aug. 2026

Definition of worry

Browse Nearby Words

prerogatives

presage

presaged

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Presage.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/presage. Accessed 24 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of presage

noun

verb

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Podcast

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster on presage

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

expeditious

Popular in Grammar & Usage

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

How to Pronounce the Trickiest Menu Items

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

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

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Popular in Wordplay

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List

Even More Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

The Words of the Week - Aug. 21

16 Glee-ridden Words from Schitt's Creek

Popular

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

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List

Games & Quizzes