portent

noun

por·​tent ˈpȯr-ˌtent 

1

: something that foreshadows a coming event : omen, sign

2

: prophetic indication or significance

3

: marvel, prodigy

Synonyms

• augury
• auspice
• boding
• foreboding
• foreshadowing
• omen
• prefiguring
• presage

Examples of portent in a Sentence

a red sky in the morning can be a portent of a coming storm

a scout was sent to have a look at this teenage pitcher who was supposed to be the latest portent of the baseball world

Recent Examples on the Web

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

As the two settle into their new house, Michael Shanks, the film’s Australian writer-director, pulls an anything-goes series of shocking portents. —Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 27 Jan. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Latin portentum, from neuter of portentus, past participle of portendere

First Known Use

1562, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

portent

noun

por·​tent ˈpȯ(ə)r-ˌtent 

ˈpō(ə)r-

: a sign or warning of a coming event : omen