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portent
This term carries a heavy, often ominous weight, suggesting a supernatural or fateful connection between a present sign and a future event. It is typically used in formal or literary contexts to describe events that feel predestined or warnings of impending disaster. While it can occasionally refer to a positive sign, the word is most frequently associated with dread, calamity, or momentous shifts in power. It differs from a simple clue or hint by implying a larger, cosmic, or historical significance.
Meanings
A sign or warning that something, especially something momentous or calamitous, is likely to happen.
"The sudden drop in temperature was seen as a portent of a harsh winter."
An event or phenomenon that is regarded as an omen.
"The comet was interpreted by the ancients as a portent of the fall of an empire."