early warning sign

USAGE SUMMARY

"early warning sign" is correct and usable in written English. You can use it when referring to indicators that suggest a potential problem or issue may arise in the future. For example, "The sudden drop in sales was an early warning sign of the company's financial troubles." Alternative expressions include "preliminary indicator" and "initial warning signal."

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Science

Formal & Business

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

60 human-written examples

A Warning Sign In retrospect, the failures were an early warning sign about the thinness of American intelligence on Iraq and on Mr. Hussein's inner circle.

The New York Times

Regular nightmares in childhood may be an early warning sign of psychotic disorders, researchers in the UK warn.

BBC

And jealousy is often an early warning sign.

The New York Times

He literally goes into a spasm, and it's this early warning sign.

The New Yorker

"The bankruptcy system provided an early warning sign of problems in mortgage servicing," Mr. White said.

The New York Times

If they are, then sperm might be an early warning sign of environmental dangers.

The New York Times - Health

The disease is an early warning sign that cries out for help.

The New York Times - Health

Another early warning sign is if the boyfriend is much older than the girl.

The New York Times

He literally goes into a spasm, and it's this early warning sign..

The New Yorker

When you're starting transformation, the age of the business is an early warning sign.

The Guardian

"It's an early warning sign and I think it just portends a massive wind of change in the future".

The Guardian - Tech

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Use "early warning sign" when you want to highlight a specific, observable phenomenon that suggests a larger problem is developing. It is especially effective in medical, financial and environmental reporting to establish a predictive narrative.

Common error

Do not use "early warning sign" to describe an event that is already in full effect or has reached its peak. A sign must precede the main event; using it for the climax of a situation confuses the timeline of your analysis.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "early warning sign" functions as a complex noun phrase consisting of two adjectives modifying a central noun. In many examples provided by Ludwig, it acts as a predicate nominative (e.g., "the failure was an early warning sign") or the subject of a sentence, identifying a specific indicator as predictive.

Expression frequency: Very common

Frequent in

Science

42%

News & Media

38%

Formal & Business

20%

Less common in

Social Media

5%

Wiki

3%

Reference

2%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

The phrase "early warning sign" is a versatile and essential tool in English for identifying precursors to significant events. According to Ludwig AI, it is used with high frequency in both Science and News & Media, appearing in nearly 60 high-quality examples from authoritative sources. It is grammatically correct and serves as a formal alternative to more casual expressions like "<a href="/s/red+flag" target="_blank" rel="alternative">red flag". Whether discussing medical symptoms, financial trends or political shifts, "early warning sign" provides a clear, predictive framework that is highly valued in professional writing for its precision and clarity.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

red flag

Adds a more idiomatic and urgent sense of danger or problem

initial indicator

Shifts to a more technical and neutral tone

precursor

Focuses on the sequential nature of events leading to a result

telltale sign

Emphasizes the revealing or characteristic nature of the evidence

preliminary signal

Stresses that the sign is part of an early or introductory phase

early symptom

Narrows the context specifically to medical or pathological issues

harbinger

Provides a more literary or dramatic tone to the warning

canary in the coal mine

Uses a strong metaphor to describe a specific type of early vulnerability

forewarning

Acts more as a noun describing the act of warning itself

advance notice

Focuses on the information provided rather than a physical sign

FAQs

What can I say instead of "early warning sign"?

Depending on your context, you can use alternatives like "<a href="/s/red+flag" target="_blank" rel="alternative">red flag", "<a href="/s/precursor" target="_blank" rel="alternative">precursor", or "<a href="/s/initial+indicator" target="_blank" rel="alternative">initial indicator".

Is "early warning sign" appropriate for formal writing?

Yes, it is highly appropriate. It is frequently used in scientific journals such as those found in PubMed and high-level news outlets like The New York Times to describe predictive data.

What's the difference between "early warning sign" and a "<a href="/s/red+flag" target="_blank" rel="alternative">red flag"?

An "early warning sign" is often viewed as a neutral or scientific observation of a developing trend, while a "<a href="/s/red+flag" target="_blank" rel="alternative">red flag" is more idiomatic and usually implies a more urgent, moral or immediate problem.

Can I use "early warning sign" in a medical context?

Absolutely. It is commonly used to describe an "<a href="/s/early+symptom" target="_blank" rel="alternative">early symptom" of a disease, suggesting that clinical intervention may be needed soon.