portent

Everyday

1. (formal) A sign or warning that something important, often bad, is going to happen. tree →
2. (literary) A strange or wonderful thing that seems to carry a message. tree →
3. (formal) Serious meaning or importance: «a matter of great portent». tree →

In the lessons

Found in fairy tales, myths and old stories: a comet, a black cat or a storm seen as a portent of doom. Science teaches that such signs do not really foretell the future. Phrases: «a portent of doom», «an evil portent», «portents of change».

Examples

• The villagers believed the comet was a portent of war. tree →
• Dark clouds rolled in like a portent of the storm to come. tree →
• In the story, a raven on the roof was taken as a portent. tree →
• The first falling leaves are a portent of autumn. tree →
• Ancient kings asked wise men to read the portents in the sky. tree →
• Scientists explain eclipses; they are not portents of anything. tree →
• The empty classroom felt like a portent of trouble. tree →
• Finnian loomed on him as a portent and a terror; but he had no fear of Time. tree →

Note

Countable: «a portent», «portents». Related adjective «portentous» (seeming to warn of something; also pompous and overly serious). Stress on the first part: POR-tent. Superstition: an eclipse or a black cat is not a real warning; that is a myth.