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.
Related Words
Relevance
Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of portended
Martin County’s anti-development history portended a quick and certain rejection by the county commission.
—
Jeffrey Steele, Forbes.com, 22 Aug. 2025
Jeffrey Steele, Forbes.com, 22 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for portended
Verb
-
And Josue De Jesus of Rising Apple predicted that would mean ditching former ace Kodai Senga after his latest setback.—
Peter Chawaga,
MSNBC Newsweek,
19 Sep. 2025
-
The first guest of the night was Jude Law, who was asked about how his roles have predicted the future in the past.—
Emily Longeretta,
Variety,
19 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy has promised to invest in new air traffic control technology and boost hiring at the Federal Aviation Administration, and Congress approved a new slate of funding for the agency earlier this year.—
Zach Wichter,
USA Today,
18 Sep. 2025
-
It’s been nearly a decade since some 195 global parties promised to try and keep global temperatures below that 2-degree threshold.—
Alexandra Harrell,
Sourcing Journal,
18 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Viral marketing tactics, coupled with strong social media word-of-mouth, boded well for both films’ success, said Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst for the data firm Comscore.—
Itzel Luna,
Chicago Tribune,
10 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
Advertisement Advertisement Now, in The Pitt, his character is mentoring other young doctors—so much so that the estate of ER creator Michael Crichton has called The Pitt an ER-spinoff.—
Olivia B. Waxman,
Time,
15 Sep. 2025
-
A week after suffering a gut-punch loss to Nevada in Reno when two winning touchdowns were called back in the final moment and a tying field goal with seconds to play just missed, Sac State shook off early jitters to unleash a balanced offense in improving to 1-2.—
Joe Davidson,
Sacbee.com,
14 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
One of Redford’s last screen roles, which presaged his retirement from acting in 2018, was as the career criminal Forrest Tucker in David Lowery’s The Old Man & the Gun.—
K. Austin Collins,
The Atlantic,
16 Sep. 2025
-
Her attraction to coloring books presaged her minimal style.—
News Desk,
Artforum,
8 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Todd's second-ever screen role foretold his future prominence, as the taciturn Sgt.—
Ryan Coleman,
Entertainment Weekly,
16 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Husseini attempted to ply him with patronage, appointing him imam of a new mosque, but the cleric’s burgeoning following augured poorly for Husseini’s grip on power.—
Sean Durns,
The Washington Examiner,
12 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Philosophers once prophesied that evolution would lead to minds far greater — and stranger — than our own.—
Thomas Moynihan,
Big Think,
20 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Portended.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/portended. Accessed 21 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share