1
as in ominous
being or showing a sign of evil or calamity to come
an eerie and portentous stillness hung over the camp the night before the battle
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in marvellous
causing wonder or astonishment
in 1969 people regarded the first landing on the moon as a truly portentous event
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of portentous
But unlike the relative low-budget kicks of his previous two films, Glass has lots of portentous self-importance that the movie never quite earns.
—
Will Leitch, Vulture, 5 Aug. 2024
The big and portentous orchestrations of John Williams play right through both exposition and action scenes like oppressive Musak.
—John H. Dorr, The Hollywood Reporter, 22 July 2024
After reams of the post-liberals’ portentous obscurities, Lefebvre’s cutting clarity comes as a relief.
—Becca Rothfeld, Washington Post, 3 July 2024
The first is to speak in the hushed, portentous tones that have signified Serious Blockbusters for decades.
—Nate Jones, Vulture, 1 Mar. 2024
See All Example Sentences for portentous
Will Leitch, Vulture, 5 Aug. 2024
The big and portentous orchestrations of John Williams play right through both exposition and action scenes like oppressive Musak.
—John H. Dorr, The Hollywood Reporter, 22 July 2024
After reams of the post-liberals’ portentous obscurities, Lefebvre’s cutting clarity comes as a relief.
—Becca Rothfeld, Washington Post, 3 July 2024
The first is to speak in the hushed, portentous tones that have signified Serious Blockbusters for decades.
—Nate Jones, Vulture, 1 Mar. 2024
See All Example Sentences for portentous
Recent Examples of Synonyms for portentous
Adjective
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There’s the ominous sense that the monkeys lurking around the resort might just be the same ones wielding swords in the frescoes.—
Amanda Whiting,
Vulture,
16 Feb. 2025
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Those recall notices referred to a permanent solution without specifying what that might be—something that could be read as ominous or hopeful.—
Eric Bangeman,
Ars Technica,
14 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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Deepfakes first attracted attention for its use in making fake celebrity pornographic films, but their uses have subsequently evolved to more sinister reasons.—
Rohan Pinto,
Forbes,
27 Feb. 2025
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Columbia Pictures When Bobbie also suddenly transforms, Joanna discovers that her best friend has been replaced by a robot—along with all the other wives—and realizes the sinister forces at work in Stepford are coming for her next.—
Ars Technica,
Ars Technica,
23 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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Parker Hall The Best MagSafe Accessories for Your New iPhone The weird, wonderful world of MagSafe accessories can make your smartphone feel modular.—
Julian Chokkattu,
WIRED,
20 Feb. 2025
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One pole of the action is the Green Dolphin Hotel, where Hezekiah and Alec finally find a place to land, and where Hezekiah’s ability to speak Chinese, a legacy from a Chinese grandmother, endears him to the proprietor, Mr. Lao (Jason Tobin, quiet and wonderful); some Elephants are around as well.—
Robert Lloyd,
Los Angeles Times,
20 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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Slimani is a hardened criminal made less menacing by Kateb’s faltering rhythms in English, the gang’s lingua franca.—
Ben Kenigsberg,
New York Times,
20 Feb. 2025
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Others see something darker and more menacing for the country and its future.—
Chris Megerian,
Chicago Tribune,
19 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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And, really, that shouldn’t be all that astonishing.—
Kevin Kurz,
The Athletic,
26 Feb. 2025
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Nvidia's astonishing market ride rests on the assumption that AI will be the tech industry's next universal platform and that demand for AI products and services will be massive.—
Scott Rosenberg,
Axios,
26 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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In a miraculous fall from the height of fame, Faithfull lost custody of her child and wound up homeless on the streets of London.—
Anna Kaufman,
USA TODAY,
31 Jan. 2025
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By the wannabe Yoda’s logic, as successful as a network like NBC was at the time, within a few years, one of its lesser rivals would almost surely mount a miraculous comeback and leave the Peacock looking plucked.—
Josef Adalian,
Vulture,
30 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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There's actually a bevy of shine-boosting, ultra-nourishing oils on the market that deliver amazing results to delicate strands.—
Jennifer Hussein,
Allure,
21 Feb. 2025
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Our products have been the star, and the feedback on the product has been amazing.—
Renan Botelho,
WWD,
21 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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This luxury resort, set in the tranquil countryside, is your gateway to surprising epicurean adventures as well.—
Wendy Altschuler,
Forbes,
18 Feb. 2025
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Tucker, Betts, Bryce Harper and Trea Turner are your steady vets, and there is surprising consensus around Julio Rodriguez, Jackson Chourio and Wyatt Langford.—
Owen Poindexter,
The Athletic,
18 Feb. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Portentous.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/portentous. Accessed 3 Mar. 2025.
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