portent

[pawr-tent, pohr-]

See more 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.

Origin of portent

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

Synonyms

See more synonyms for on Thesaurus.com

1. augury, warning. See sign. 2. import.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for portent

Contemporary Examples

At times, it seemed Leonard was awaiting a portent or an omen.
The Stacks: How Leonard Chess Helped Make Muddy Waters
Alex Belth
August 2, 2014
Is this a passing phase or a portent of something more serious?
Fascism Is Fashionable Again in Europe
Thane Rosenbaum
June 8, 2014
As the great commentator, the Ramban, teaches, “everything that happened to the Patriarchs is a portent for the children.”
The Vulnerability of American Rabbis
Rabbi Jonah Geffen
November 8, 2013
Online activity is not therefore a portent of offline activity.
Did Tamerlan ‘Self-Radicalize’?
Richard Barrett
April 25, 2013
Lapid is the first politician to emerge from this politics and is in any case a portent of things to come.
Yair Lapid's Historic Opportunity
Bernard Avishai
January 24, 2013

Historical Examples

It was the hush of portent, the hush of watchfulness, the hush of a threatening tension.
The Law-Breakers
Ridgwell Cullum
They had him, but it was like getting hold of an apparition, a wraith, a portent.
Lord Jim
Joseph Conrad
The silence without was only portent of the storm so soon to burst.
Warrior Gap
Charles King
It was because he was a failure in literature that he became a portent in English history.
The Napoleon of Notting Hill
Gilbert K. Chesterton
And, try as I might, I felt it to be a portent and a prophecy.
Bidwell's Travels, from Wall Street to London Prison
Austin Biron Bidwell

British Dictionary definitions for portent

portent

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

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

Word Origin and History for portent

n.

1560s, from Middle French portente, from Latin portentum "a sign, token, omen; monster, monstrosity," noun use of neuter of portentus, past participle of portendre (see portend).

portent

Origin of .css-1fxfie5{font-size:22px;}@media (max-width:768px){.css-1fxfie5{font-size:18px;margin:0 10px 10px 0;word-break:break-all;word-wrap:break-word;-webkit-hyphens:auto;-moz-hyphens:auto;-ms-hyphens:auto;hyphens:auto;line-height:22px;}}portent

Synonyms

Related Words

Examples from the Web for portent

Contemporary Examples

At times, it seemed Leonard was awaiting a portent or an omen.

Is this a passing phase or a portent of something more serious?

As the great commentator, the Ramban, teaches, “everything that happened to the Patriarchs is a portent for the children.”

Online activity is not therefore a portent of offline activity.

Lapid is the first politician to emerge from this politics and is in any case a portent of things to come.

Historical Examples

It was the hush of portent, the hush of watchfulness, the hush of a threatening tension.

They had him, but it was like getting hold of an apparition, a wraith, a portent.

The silence without was only portent of the storm so soon to burst.

It was because he was a failure in literature that he became a portent in English history.

And, try as I might, I felt it to be a portent and a prophecy.

portent

Word Origin

Word Origin and History for portent

n.

Origin of portent