portents

plural of portent

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
  • But from the first scenes, omens lay the groundwork for a sinking spiral of evolving tragedy.
    — Bill Hirschman, Sun Sentinel, 13 Oct. 2026
  • And according to Tony Lee, Garey’s high school breakout is no surprise given the many omens of his dominance as a youth player.
    — Kyle Newman, Denver Post, 27 Sep. 2026
Noun
  • Even those who don’t believe in miracles must concede the improbability of such historic continuity.
    — Chris Roemer, Baltimore Sun, 8 Oct. 2026
  • The woman understood from her hasty reading that perhaps all miracles could be attributed to saints and angels if they were experienced by a believer.
    — Ellen O’Connell Whittet, Literary Hub, 7 Oct. 2026
Noun
  • The most promising designs are then tested, and the results are fed back into the system for future predictions.
    — Georgina Jedikovska, Interesting Engineering, 16 Oct. 2026
  • That said, Ishbia isn't shying away from making concrete predictions about this season for the Suns.
    — Alex Sherman, CNBC, 16 Oct. 2026
Noun
  • Wright also interrogates the boundary between severe mental illness and evil, and wonders whether, even in extreme cases, redemption might be possible.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 20 Oct. 2026
  • Directed by Rocky, Aisulton Seitov, and Pietro Biz Biasia, the appropriately trippy video opens with the rapper discovering the wonders of nature in a hippie wonderland, where even the old ladies knitting on park benches will take a toke.
    — Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 19 Oct. 2026
Noun
  • That question motivated Clark to better understand aging among plants and animals and to look for hints to extend humans' lifespan.
    — KYLE MELNICK THE WASHINGTON POST, Arkansas Online, 18 Oct. 2026
  • On Friday, Fed Chairman Kevin Warsh offered no hints about potential interest rate policy moves while attending a meeting of financial leaders in Bangkok.
    — Mary Cunningham, CBS News, 16 Oct. 2026
Noun
  • Today, Astana’s skyline can keep up with the best of them, with 21st-century architectural marvels made from concrete, steel, and glass cresting over the country’s endless steppes into the horizon.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 16 Oct. 2026
  • Frances marvels at how quickly people are radicalized online, how the machine essentially transforms them from one type of individual to another.
    — Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 7 Oct. 2026
Noun
  • Chain bookselling, which enabled the unification of the reading market, was one of the first heralds of a globalizing age.
    — Nathan Heller, New Yorker, 19 Oct. 2026
  • This increasingly seamless connection between runway collections and store stock heralds a new meaning for commercial, repositioning the role of the runway.
    — Joe Bobowicz, Vogue, 8 Oct. 2026
Noun
  • In one letter, Conan Doyle thanked Bell for further story suggestions.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 20 Oct. 2026
  • Even their three adult children — Michael, Lola and Joaquin — had gotten involved in the discussion, offering suggestions of their own.
    — Dave Quinn, PEOPLE, 19 Oct. 2026

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Cite this Entry

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

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