Portent

/ˈpɔːrtənt/

Meaning & Definition

noun

A sign or warning that something, especially something momentous or calamitous, is likely to happen.

The dark clouds on the horizon were seen as a portent of the approaching storm.

An omen or a prophetic indication.

The owl's hoot at midnight was considered a portent of death in local superstition.

Something that foreshadows a future event.

Scientists regarded the melting glaciers as a portent of climate change impacts to come.

An indication or predication of something to come.

The stock market's sudden drop was viewed as a portent of an impending recession.

From Latin 'portentum', which means 'a forewarning', from 'portendere' meaning 'to foretell'.

portent of doom

A sign indicating impending disaster.

dark portent

A gloomy or ominous sign.

omen

A phenomenon that is believed to foretell the future.

augury

The practice of interpreting omens from the observed behavior of animals.

sign

An indication or evidence of something.