1
as in feel
a feeling that something bad will happen
I had a nagging presage that the results of my medical tests would not be good
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Relevance
2
as in forerunner
something believed to be a sign or warning of a future event
the sight of the first robin is always a welcome presage of spring
Synonyms & Similar Words
as in to predict
to tell of or describe beforehand
people used to believe that a comet presaged a major event, such as the death of a king
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Examples of presage in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Razib Khan, Discover Magazine, 19 Nov. 2019
Lowery is sharp in his attunement to the anti-immigrant and anti-Muslim violence of the Bush years, which now look like a presage of Trumpism.
—Benjamin Wallace-Wells, The New Yorker, 29 Aug. 2023
News Desk, Artforum, 10 Sep. 2024
While The Sopranos perceptively presaged a bad end to the American Century, capturing an inchoate mood of decline more than two years before 9/11, The Penguin presents yet another unflattering portrait of a man whose archetype has haunted TV and film since his first presidential run.
—Judy Berman, TIME, 19 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for presage 
Noun
The ominous warning presages the societal problems that ensue when consanguinity is widespread.
—Razib Khan, Discover Magazine, 19 Nov. 2019
Lowery is sharp in his attunement to the anti-immigrant and anti-Muslim violence of the Bush years, which now look like a presage of Trumpism.
—Benjamin Wallace-Wells, The New Yorker, 29 Aug. 2023
Verb
The work presaged her turn to machinic installations, which gradually took the place of body art.
—News Desk, Artforum, 10 Sep. 2024
While The Sopranos perceptively presaged a bad end to the American Century, capturing an inchoate mood of decline more than two years before 9/11, The Penguin presents yet another unflattering portrait of a man whose archetype has haunted TV and film since his first presidential run.
—Judy Berman, TIME, 19 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for presage
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'presage.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Presage.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/presage. Accessed 30 Oct. 2024.
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