1
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
2
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
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
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Recent Examples of presage
Deborah Treisman, The New Yorker, 28 July 2024
This combination presages what could be big performance and battery life improvements, along with some intriguing new ways of working.
—Michael J. Miller, PCMAG, 21 May 2024
Moneyshow, Forbes.com, 11 Apr. 2025
And Abbott argued that Crockett’s remarks presaged future Democratic defeats.
—Saul Elbein, The Hill, 27 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for presage
Noun
As the ending of the story perhaps presages, Martha is on the cusp of a change in her life.
—Deborah Treisman, The New Yorker, 28 July 2024
This combination presages what could be big performance and battery life improvements, along with some intriguing new ways of working.
—Michael J. Miller, PCMAG, 21 May 2024
Verb
Adrian Day Global Analyst A change in the monetary system presages a commodity bull market.
—Moneyshow, Forbes.com, 11 Apr. 2025
And Abbott argued that Crockett’s remarks presaged future Democratic defeats.
—Saul Elbein, The Hill, 27 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for presage
Recent Examples of Synonyms for presage
Noun
-
As thousands of families poured into the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum for the University of Southern California’s main-stage commencement on Thursday night, the scene had the feel of the usual collegiate event held there: a football game.—
Daniel Miller,
Los Angeles Times,
16 May 2025
-
The stiff feel, plus the suffocating heat of summer in NYC, is a recipe for disaster.—
Genevieve Cepeda,
Travel + Leisure,
15 May 2025
Noun
-
While his Late Night forerunner Letterman was probably the comedic polestar of Generation X—gruff, cynical, and biting the hand that fed—O’Brien became a bedrock influence for the next generation of Millennial comics.—
David Sims,
The Atlantic,
22 Mar. 2025
-
The New York Dolls were forerunners of punk, and the band's style -- teased hair, women's clothes and lots of makeup -- inspired the glam movement that took up residence in heavy metal a decade later in bands like Faster Pussycat and Mötley Crüe.—
MARK KENNEDY THE ASSOCIATED PRESS,
arkansasonline.com,
2 Mar. 2025
Verb
-
For Chadwick and other researchers, frequent eruptions offer the tantalizing opportunity to predict volcanic eruptions weeks to months in advance — something that’s very difficult to do with other volcanoes.—
Rong-Gong Lin II,
Los Angeles Times,
20 May 2025
-
The test predicted that my father’s risk of dying from the disease in the next five years was less than 5%.—
Luisel Ricks-Santi,
The Conversation,
20 May 2025
Noun
-
But instead of continuing the story at the moment Iris comes to after her vision, the film jumps forward to the present day, where Iris’ premonition has become her granddaughter Stefanie’s (Kaitlyn Santa Juana) recurring nightmare.—
Louis Peitzman,
Vulture,
22 May 2025
-
But Annabelle is also haunted by terrifying dreams — ones where her family are affected — and which Annabelle soon realizes aren’t just figments of her imagination, but premonitions of what’s to come.—
Carly Tagen-Dye,
People.com,
19 May 2025
Noun
-
Passionate about utopian socialism and architecture, Gaudí’s forms and shapes were totally fresh, otherworldly and are sometimes referred to as a precursor of the Surrealist movement, of which Salvator Dalí was a key proponent.—
Sofia Celeste,
Footwear News,
8 May 2025
-
Key Ingredients: Pre-retinol (retinol precursor), sunflower oil, wintergreen extract, hibiscus flower extract, christophine extract, water lily extract Best For: Rejuvenating tired, aging skin by brightening and evening out skin tone for a smoother, more radiant complexion.—
Conçetta Ciarlo,
Vogue,
6 May 2025
Noun
-
Some of this fear is rooted in social comparison, but much of it is tied to daily concerns about funding retirement accounts and covering child care costs.—
Eliza Brooke,
Vox,
23 May 2025
-
The employee, who did not want to be named out of fear of retaliation for speaking to the news media, said that the N.S.F.’s rigorous review process had been disassembled, and that political mandates had taken precedence over scientific merits when assessing grant proposals.—
Aatish Bhatia,
New York Times,
22 May 2025
Noun
-
And the portents were not just in Henderson’s and Nuzzo’s paper.—
David Zweig,
The Atlantic,
17 Apr. 2025
-
Matthew stresses royalty, prefacing the birth with heavenly portents; afterward, Magi bear royal gifts to a future king.—
Judith Shulevitz,
The Atlantic,
1 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
The letter is a sign of growing ties between religious and AI safety groups, which share some of the same worries.—
Billy Perrigo,
Time,
21 May 2025
-
While Shields spent her adolescence in the spotlight starring in movies such as Pretty Baby and The Blue Lagoon and modeling for the likes of Calvin Klein, she's expressed her own worries for her daughters growing up in the world of social media.—
Kayla Grant,
People.com,
20 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Presage.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/presage. Accessed 29 May. 2025.
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