portent
9
8.7
- noun
- /ˈpɔːrtənt/
- Formal
- Her sudden silence was a portent that she was about to share some troubling news.
- portent of the future
- portent of future events
Examples
-
Many believed the earthquake was a portent indicating more disasters were likely ahead.
-
Well, perhaps it's because it was the first portent of the time when our world will change forever.
-
And I have a feeling this is just a portent of what we're gonna be seeing here this evening.
-
In this, I might have seen a portent of things to come.
Blog text (12) -
Maybe it's a portent of better things to come.
Fiction book (1990) -
That book, America in Search of Itself, stands today as a portent of what our political campaigns have become.
-
Often, the reference to the comet is quite incidental, mentioned only as a portent of some great historical event.
Academic text (1996) -
That's an impressive beginning and an ominous portent of things to come.
-
When the Soviets launched Sputnik in 1957, people everywhere were "relieved," despite the satellite's portent of war.
Academic text (2016) -
Soon, a portent of approaching danger floated in upon the changing winds, a harbinger in the form of a glorious winged creature.
Synonyms
∞
3.2
An event that shows something is happening or will happen
738
1.0
A statement or sign that tells people about danger before it happens
59
1.6
Something that shows there may be danger or a problem
51
4.9
A sign or event that people think shows what will happen next
3
5.6
A sign or notice that something bad will happen
2
9.9
A sign people use to guess what will happen
2
3.7
A sign that something dangerous may happen
1
8.7
A sign or feeling that something bad will happen
1
8.8
A sign that shows something will happen in the future
1
9.9
An event or example that shows what will happen later
1
9.1
A sign or early example that shows what will happen later
1
9.9
A sign that something will happen in the future
A sign that something important will happen soon
How Ominous
Surface Forms
Etymology
Portent comes from a Latin word for a thing that 'shows' what is ahead and is the same idea as the verb portend, which means 'to warn of' or 'to show before'. So a portent is a sign that something important, often bad, may happen.