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
Relevance
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
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 portent
Jellyfish scrape along the sea floor like spindly mushroom clouds of portent, stinging Sofia who masochistically (and in a way that carries over to her actual human relationships) keeps going back for another dip.
—
Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 14 Feb. 2025
But coming in at a brisk 89-minute runtime, the feature is awkwardly compressed in its portrait of heartache and easily overwhelmed by the political portent of its subject.
—J. Kim Murphy, Variety, 24 Jan. 2025
The Dead Zone maintains key big-picture threads from the book and movie — the malevolent rising-star politician, the apocalyptic portent — while taking advantage of its format, succeeding as both a procedural and a long-term story.
—Chris Snellgrove, EW.com, 22 Dec. 2024
For the Chinese government, however, Tiananmen remains a frightening portent.
—Andrew J. Nathan, Foreign Affairs, 30 May 2019
See All Example Sentences for portent
Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 14 Feb. 2025
But coming in at a brisk 89-minute runtime, the feature is awkwardly compressed in its portrait of heartache and easily overwhelmed by the political portent of its subject.
—J. Kim Murphy, Variety, 24 Jan. 2025
The Dead Zone maintains key big-picture threads from the book and movie — the malevolent rising-star politician, the apocalyptic portent — while taking advantage of its format, succeeding as both a procedural and a long-term story.
—Chris Snellgrove, EW.com, 22 Dec. 2024
For the Chinese government, however, Tiananmen remains a frightening portent.
—Andrew J. Nathan, Foreign Affairs, 30 May 2019
See All Example Sentences for portent
Recent Examples of Synonyms for portent
Noun
-
The notable feature of this particular death factory was its use of gas vans, a forerunner to the larger, more impersonal gas chambers built at Auschwitz-Birkenau, Belzec, Sobibor, and Treblinka.—
Josh Weiss,
Forbes,
17 Mar. 2025
-
In 1914, Frank Newman opened the Royal Theatre which was a forerunner to movie palaces in the city, a significant departure from nickelodeons.—
Michael Wells,
Kansas City Star,
28 Feb. 2025
Noun
-
Short of a miracle, the truck will remain a striking, high-profile disaster at a time when Tesla could ill afford it.—
Miles Klee,
Rolling Stone,
7 Mar. 2025
-
But then, always, there is relief: the miracle of Prince’s music.—
Raechal Shewfelt,
EW.com,
5 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
The omens looked good after Argentina’s Ajejandro Tosti and Collin Morikawa’s caddie JJ Jakovac both aced the hole on Wednesday ahead of the tournament, but the waters quickly claimed multiple victims during the first round.—
Jack Bantock,
CNN,
13 Mar. 2025
-
Throughout most of human history, many cultures have thought such phenomena were ill omens caused by supernatural beings.—
Emily Matchar,
Smithsonian Magazine,
27 Jan. 2025
Noun
-
The phenomenon was just beginning, and Curry's performance was a big part of it.—
Angela Andaloro,
People.com,
19 Mar. 2025
-
Scientists blame the phenomenon on too many positive ions in the air.—
Matthew Adams,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
19 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
Such certificates are often pursued after a conviction has been vacated and as a precursor to a lawsuit.—
Madeline Buckley,
Chicago Tribune,
17 Mar. 2025
-
For example, tryptophan is precursor to serotonin, the body’s feel-good chemical.—
Fiona Embleton,
Glamour,
14 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
Combined with Bell's confidence, Harvick suggests the team could do wonders this year.—
Raja Krishnamoorthi,
Newsweek,
13 Mar. 2025
-
For smaller groups or when just starting out, even a simple WhatsApp group can work wonders.—
Jodie Cook,
Forbes,
13 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
And some, with a bleak foreshadowing of what was to come, had written their names and the phone numbers of family members – on their chests.—
Kate Bartlett,
NPR,
18 Jan. 2025
-
Some epileptic patients, for example, can feel their seizures coming on and activate their implants, but others don’t experience such foreshadowing.—
IEEE Spectrum,
IEEE Spectrum,
29 May 2015
Noun
-
This is a real testament to the engineering team behind the car, one of which spent 45 minutes at Jay’s garage talking through the W1’s list of technical marvels.—
Karl Brauer,
Forbes,
12 Mar. 2025
-
In her 2020 Oscar-winning role in Judy, her face was hers, both singular and an emotive marvel.—
Valerie Monroe,
Allure,
21 Feb. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Portent.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/portent. Accessed 24 Mar. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share