DEFINITIONS

portent

[ pawr-tent, pohr- ]
/ ˈpɔr tɛnt, ˈpoʊr- /
SEE SYNONYMS FOR portent ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

an indication or omen of something about to happen, especially something momentous.
threatening or disquieting significance: an occurrence of dire portent.
a prodigy or marvel.

Content related to portent

The Problem With AwesomeMany words have been wasted on the subject of when adulthood starts. Some hold that it comes about with the right to drink alcoholic beverages or vote in an election. For particularly stringent grammarians of a certain generation, the rite of passage that marks the official start of adulthood is the point at which one becomes annoyed at hearing someone say that something is awesome, …
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Words related to portent

premonition, harbinger, omen, hunch, prognostic, foreboding, augury, sign, warning, prognostication, threat, caution, clue, presage, presentiment, foretoken, foreshadowing, vibes, phenomenon

Words nearby portent

portative organ, portcullis, porte, porte-cochere, portend, portent, portentous, porter, porter chair, porter's sign, porter, cole

Origin of portent

1555–65; < Latin portentum sign, token, noun use of neuter of portentus, past participle of portendere to portend

SYNONYMS FOR portent

1 augury, warning. See sign.
2 import.
SEE SYNONYMS FOR portent ON THESAURUS.COM
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for portent

British Dictionary definitions for portent

portent
/ (ˈpɔːtɛnt) /

noun

a sign or indication of a future event, esp a momentous or calamitous one; omen
momentous or ominous significancea cry of dire portent
a miraculous occurrence; marvel

Word Origin for portent

C16: from Latin portentum sign, omen, from portendere to portend
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012