1
as in ominous
being or showing a sign of evil or calamity to come
an eerie and portentous stillness hung over the camp the night before the battle
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in marvellous
causing wonder or astonishment
in 1969 people regarded the first landing on the moon as a truly portentous event
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Recent Examples of portentous
This game would have been twice as portentous if Davis had been healthy, but the 10-time All-Star who teamed up with James to lead the Lakers to the 2020 championship is out at least two more weeks with a groin injury sustained in his Mavs debut.
—
Greg Beacham, Chicago Tribune, 26 Feb. 2025
After the game, Dončić warmly greeted his former teammates but also took a few portentous looks at the Mavericks bench during the night.
—Ross Rosenfeld, Newsweek, 26 Feb. 2025
With its whisper-thin characters, vague narrative, and acres of portentous poetry about sound, Rabbit Trap feels somehow both underwritten and overwritten.
—Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 25 Jan. 2025
Advertisement Starting with his film-school projects in the early 1970s, David Cronenberg hit the ground running with projects that tucked sharp social critiques into ominously portentous narratives.
—Marc Weingarten, Los Angeles Times, 24 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for portentous
Greg Beacham, Chicago Tribune, 26 Feb. 2025
After the game, Dončić warmly greeted his former teammates but also took a few portentous looks at the Mavericks bench during the night.
—Ross Rosenfeld, Newsweek, 26 Feb. 2025
With its whisper-thin characters, vague narrative, and acres of portentous poetry about sound, Rabbit Trap feels somehow both underwritten and overwritten.
—Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 25 Jan. 2025
Advertisement Starting with his film-school projects in the early 1970s, David Cronenberg hit the ground running with projects that tucked sharp social critiques into ominously portentous narratives.
—Marc Weingarten, Los Angeles Times, 24 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for portentous
Recent Examples of Synonyms for portentous
Adjective
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The fall in the dollar and rise in bond yields that went with it have been truly ominous.—
Robert Daugherty,
Forbes.com,
12 Apr. 2025
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As for what will befall patients at Pittsburgh Trauma Medical Center, Gemmill gave CNN a pretty ominous hint.—
Emily Tannenbaum,
Glamour,
11 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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Or, more likely, The Sentry is simply the benevolent mirror image of that shadowy, sinister entity that emerges after Bob Reynolds ingests a super serum.—
Jeff Spry,
Space.com,
22 Apr. 2025
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However, what was happening behind the scenes was more sinister than what the public thought.—
Lea Veloso,
StyleCaster,
14 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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And Giuseppe Trevisani, wonderful guy, is my favorite excuse of all.—
Domenico Starnone,
New Yorker,
20 Apr. 2025
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Katy Perry reportedly sang ‘Its a wonderful world,’ Gayle King beamed in zero gravity, as Lauren Sánchez—pilot, philanthropist, and Jeff Bezos’s fiancée, led Blue Origin’s first all-female crew to the edge of space.—
Gemma Allen,
Forbes.com,
20 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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If the sky becomes menacing and thunder becomes audible, seek out a safe place to seek shelter.—
NC Weather Bot,
Charlotte Observer,
23 Apr. 2025
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With its stout bastions and menacing defense towers, Kaunas Castle is the epitome of a medieval citadel.—
Joe Yogerst,
Forbes.com,
22 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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Tom Hanks narrates this examination of the astonishing variety of life on a supercontinent stretching from northern Canada to the bottom of South America.—
Matthew Carey,
Deadline,
26 Apr. 2025
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This is the astonishing dialectical power of the moment.—
D. Graham Burnett,
New Yorker,
26 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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All of this is made possible through the elegant, limitlessly expressive writing system that is musical notation, which is as miraculous as the alphabet itself, and can be used for purposes every bit as varied.—
Matthew Aucoin,
The Atlantic,
15 Apr. 2025
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From $280 Book now This transformation of the historic and stately National Bank into the Riggs hotel is nearly miraculous.—
Laura Dannen Redman,
AFAR Media,
14 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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This soulful part of Phuket is dotted with colorful Sino-Portuguese shophouses, hidden temples, a vibrant art scene, and plenty of amazing restaurants and bars.—
Jenn Rice,
Forbes.com,
21 Apr. 2025
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What an amazing display of Mother Nature at her finest.—
Ryan Fonseca,
Los Angeles Times,
21 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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But the surprising mid-season decision to trade the Slovenian superstar coupled with a slew of key injuries, including to star guard Kyrie Irving, ultimately derailed any title aspirations Dallas might have had.—
Kevin Dotson,
CNN Money,
19 Apr. 2025
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Cleaning professional Ryan Schutz of Two Maids and a Mop is sharing what a typical cleaning includes, as well as a few surprising areas a house cleaner probably won't clean.—
Abby Wolner,
Better Homes & Gardens,
19 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Portentous.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/portentous. Accessed 1 May. 2025.
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