portent

Thân thiện

A dark cloud on the horizon was seen as a portent of the coming storm.

Definition

Noun: 1. A sign or warning that something, especially something momentous or calamitous, is likely to happen. It refers to an event or phenomenon regarded as an omen, often of a negative or significant future event. 2. (Archaic/Literary) An exceptional or wonderful person, thing, or event; a marvel. This meaning is less common in modern usage.

Usage

The word "portent" is used to describe something that serves as a sign or warning of a future event. It carries a formal, literary, and often ominous tone. It is typically followed by "of" to indicate what the sign foretells.

Examples

• The sudden, unnatural silence in the forest was seen as a portent of danger.
• Many believed the comet was a portent of great change.
• The economic downturn is a grim portent for the coming year.
• The infant's wisdom was a portent, astonishing all who heard him speak.

Advanced Usage

• "of things to come": A common phrase used with "portent" to explicitly frame it as a sign for the future.
  • The team's decisive victory in the first match was a portent of things to come in the tournament.
• "full of portent": Describes a situation, event, or atmosphere that seems to carry a significant, often ominous, meaning.
  • The meeting began in a silence full of portent.

Variants and Related Words

• Portentous (adjective):
  • Of or like a portent; ominously significant or indicative. "There was a portentous silence after the announcement."
  • Done in a pompously or overly solemn manner so as to impress. "He made a portentous declaration about the fate of the company."

Synonyms

• Omen: A phenomenon believed to foretell the future, often with supernatural connotations.
• Augury: An omen or sign, or the practice of interpreting omens.
• Harbinger: A person or thing that announces or signals the approach of another.
• Presage: (Verb or noun) A sign or warning that something, typically something bad, will happen.
• Forewarning: A warning of something before it happens.

Antonyms

• Aftermath: The consequences or results of a significant event.
• Result: A consequence or effect of an action or condition.

Related Idioms and Phrases

• A portent in the sky: Refers to an atmospheric phenomenon (like an eclipse or unusual cloud formation) interpreted as an omen.
  • The ancients viewed the solar eclipse as a terrifying portent in the sky.

Học thuật

Noun

1. a sign of something about to happen
   • he looked for an omen before going into battle

Từ đồng nghĩa

• omen
• presage
• prognostic
• prognostication
• prodigy