Portent
noun /ˈpɔː.tent/ — A sign or warning that something significant is about to happen
Definition
A sign or warning of a momentous or calamitous event about to happen — typically an unusual or ominous phenomenon interpreted as a message from fate.
Beyond the definition
The world speaking before the event. A portent makes you understand that something is happening whether or not you have words for it yet.
Origin & history
From Latin 'portentum' (omen, monster, portent) — from 'portendere' (to predict, to foretell) — 'por' (forward) + 'tendere' (to stretch). What stretches forward in time.
Example sentences
Illustrative sentences for learning, not verified community posts or sourced quotations.
The eclipse was taken as a portent — of what, exactly, the augurs disagreed.
The sudden silence of birds in a forest is one of nature's oldest portents.
Whether or not portents are real, they are useful: they make us pay attention to what we might otherwise ignore.
Synonyms
Antonyms
reassurance
Related words
Word in the Wild
See how this word appears in life, language and stories.
Illustrative sentences and imagined stories for learning — not verified sightings, interviews, or sourced quotations.
Fictional scene
Sudden Ominous or Momentous Event
A brilliant, single beam of sunlight breaks through clouds to strike a specific flower on a balcony, creating a dramatic, focused moment.
A portent is a sign of a momentous or calamitous event about to happen. The sudden, dramatic shaft of light breaking the dark clouds serves as a visual analogy: it is an unusual and striking phenomenon that suggests a change in the atmosphere or fate, acting as a message from the environment.
Image credit: Wordspun · AI-generated conceptual illustration