as in predicted
formal + literary
to be a sign or warning that something usually bad or unpleasant is going to happen
The distant thunder portended a storm. If you're superstitious, a black cat portends trouble.
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Recent Examples of portended
Scott Waguespack, 32nd, argued the Monday hearing portended another difficult budget season for Johnson in the fall.
—
Jake Sheridan, Chicago Tribune, 27 Apr. 2026
Residents near Hereford House who spied the visitors that morning may have wondered what their arrival portended for the town.
—Longreads, 5 Mar. 2026
That loss portended woe for Winnipeg, beginning its freefall.
—Andrew Knoll, Daily News, 8 Jan. 2026
And Smith was certain that these two short plays portended a great future for the twenty-year-old in the dramatic arts.
—Literary Hub, 12 Dec. 2025
Martin County’s anti-development history portended a quick and certain rejection by the county commission.
—Jeffrey Steele, Forbes.com, 22 Aug. 2025
Jake Sheridan, Chicago Tribune, 27 Apr. 2026
Residents near Hereford House who spied the visitors that morning may have wondered what their arrival portended for the town.
—Longreads, 5 Mar. 2026
That loss portended woe for Winnipeg, beginning its freefall.
—Andrew Knoll, Daily News, 8 Jan. 2026
And Smith was certain that these two short plays portended a great future for the twenty-year-old in the dramatic arts.
—Literary Hub, 12 Dec. 2025
Martin County’s anti-development history portended a quick and certain rejection by the county commission.
—Jeffrey Steele, Forbes.com, 22 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for portended
Verb
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These galaxies do not follow the relations predicted by either the external field effect or the baryonic Tully-Fisher relation, demonstrating that such an effect is not universal.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
29 Apr. 2026
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The algorithms are improving faster than predicted.—
Lyssanoel Frater,
USA Today,
29 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Crown Equities promised walking trails along the river, and new roads connecting Bridgewater Road with Melrose Drive.—
Don Stacom,
Hartford Courant,
28 Apr. 2026
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McMahon pushed back and promised that no matter where special education programs are housed, students would be treated the same way as before.—
Sequoia Carrillo,
NPR,
28 Apr. 2026
Verb
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That boded well for a 2008 conversation at Seiller's home.—
Amanda Hancock,
Louisville Courier Journal,
6 Mar. 2026
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Last year’s first-round pick, defensive tackle Kenneth Grant and second-round pick, guard Jonah Savaiinaea, along with a slew of late-round finds, can get a full offseason of development, which boded well for Paul going into his second season.—
David Furones,
Sun Sentinel,
6 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
These festivities are called Passion plays.—
Chris Wiley,
New Yorker,
28 Apr. 2026
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Disturbed gravesite reported Deputies were called to Davis Memorial Gardens in Lufkin after a report of a disturbed gravesite, the sheriff's office said in a social media post.—
Doug Myers,
CBS News,
27 Apr. 2026
Verb
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As for Cipriani, a hidden history of run-ins with power players seems to have presaged this Shell game.—
Gary Baum,
HollywoodReporter,
8 Apr. 2026
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Those events presaged the 2026 Iran war, in which Israel and the United States launched a large-scale operation against Iran’s military infrastructure and senior leadership.—
Britannica Editors,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
25 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The origin of its logo foretold the company's future role in creating many recognizable brands.—
Alexander Coolidge,
USA Today,
15 Apr. 2026
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But before Othership and Akari Sauna, the 1970 film Deep End foretold this trend in a much creepier and surrealist manner.—
Air Mail,
Air Mail,
28 Mar. 2026
Verb
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This is a massive shift from late last year, when talk of an AI bubble augured capital expenditures that would come back to bite tech companies when token demand plummeted.—
Reed Albergotti,
semafor.com,
1 Apr. 2026
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That may sound like a funny thing to say, in 2025, or in any year since the legendary rock singer-songwriter died in 2003, given a perennial underdog status that never augured for anything that would be likely to be called a posthumous groundswell, per se.—
Chris Willman,
Variety,
24 Oct. 2025
Verb
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In the Bible the Antichrist is a figure prophesied to oppose Jesus Christ and substitute himself as a false savior before the Second Coming.—
Gary Franks,
Hartford Courant,
26 Apr. 2026
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In his autobiography, Wright discusses how his mother prophesied his future as an architect, decorating his nursery with buildings to encourage this development.—
Carrie Hojnicki,
Architectural Digest,
20 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Portended.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/portended. Accessed 3 May. 2026.
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