portent

USAGE SUMMARY

The word "portent" is correct and usable in written English.
It is generally used to refer to an indication of a future event, and is usually used in a negative sense. Example sentence: The heavy clouds in the sky were a portent of the coming storm.

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Encyclopedias

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

60 human-written examples

The single, Never Fade Away, has the portent of a Killers track: portentous sound, portentous vocals, as though to convey the idea that they are talking about Important Stuff.

The Guardian - Music

The whole point of the goofball before Green Wing was that he was asexual, he was the subplot, the light relief, the man from whom the portent and gravity and stress associated with testosterone had been removed.

The Guardian - Film

Her garden and bedroom are painted in miniscule, hallucinatory detail: a view past tall Tuscan trees reveals misty mountains in a world that hums with portent.

The Guardian - Arts

The downgrading of some of its banks this week was a portent of that.

The Economist

The frothier one, though a portent of a possible change in Italy's attitude to the EU, is to do with milk.

The Economist

For Labour ministers, it was a worrying portent of further confrontation with the unions that fund the party.Council workers are unhappy with the 2.45% pay rise offered to them by town halls, arguing that, with retail-price inflation at 4.6%, the deal represents a wage cut in real terms.

The Economist

The resurgence in national prosperity, helped by booming global demand for agricultural commodities, has occurred despite the fact that rancorous disputes over the default have kept the country shut out of international capital markets.That may appear an encouraging portent for Greece, if it were forced to leave the euro.

The Economist

More likely is a plethora of lesser problems, from sudden surges in bond yields (Britain before the election), to short-sighted fiscal decisions (a financial-transactions tax) to strikes over pay cuts (British Airways is a portent, see article).

The Economist

One encouraging portent is that more people are using the railway network.

The Economist

But this is inevitable: the only right memorial, President Johnson insisted on Wednesday, is to carry on his work without pause or hesitation.The truth is that John Kennedy was a portent as well as a person.

The Economist

But January's rise in the claimant count is a worrying portent.

The Economist

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Use "portent" to add a sense of gravitas or foreboding to your writing, particularly when discussing events with significant implications.

Common error

Avoid using "portent" casually for minor events; reserve it for situations where the implications are genuinely significant and possibly ominous.

Linguistic Context

Portent functions primarily as a noun, signifying something that foreshadows a future event. Ludwig AI confirms this usage, showing numerous examples where it serves to indicate an upcoming occurrence, often of significance.

Expression frequency: Very common

Frequent in

News & Media

57%

Encyclopedias

24%

Science

6%

Less common in

Formal & Business

4%

Wiki

3%

Social Media

1%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, "portent" functions as a noun that signifies something foreshadowing a future event, often with a negative connotation. As Ludwig AI confirms, it is grammatically correct and widely used, particularly in news and encyclopedic contexts. When using "portent", it's best to reserve it for significant events, avoiding casual application. Alternatives include "omen", "foreshadowing", and "presage", each with its own nuance. Understanding the weight and appropriate context ensures effective communication with this powerful word.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

omen

Focuses specifically on signs, often supernatural, predicting future events.

foreshadowing

Emphasizes the act of hinting at future events within a narrative.

presage

Implies a feeling or intuition about something that is about to happen.

augury

Refers to the practice of interpreting omens to predict the future.

prognostication

Highlights the prediction of future events based on current signs or data.

harbinger

Emphasizes the role of something as a signal or indication of a future event.

premonition

Signifies a strong feeling that something is about to happen, often negative.

warning sign

Highlights the indication of potential danger or negative outcomes.

indication

Focuses on the suggestion or implication of something without explicitly stating it.

signal

Emphasizes the role of something as a cue or message about future events.

FAQs

How can I use "portent" in a sentence?

You can use "portent" to describe something that foreshadows a significant event, like: "The economic downturn was seen as a "portent" of wider social unrest."

What are some synonyms for "portent"?

Alternatives to "portent" include "omen", "foreshadowing", and "presage", each carrying slightly different nuances of prediction or anticipation.

Is "portent" typically used in a positive or negative context?

"Portent" is often used to suggest a negative or ominous future event, but it can also be used more neutrally to simply indicate a future development.

What's the difference between "portent" and "omen"?

While both suggest future events, "omen" often implies a supernatural sign, whereas "portent" can refer to any indication, natural or otherwise, that something significant is about to occur. For instance, "The dark clouds were an "omen" of bad weather", versus "The company's declining profits were a "portent" of bankruptcy".