portent

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/ˈpɔɹtənt/UK/ˈpɔːtɛnt/US/ˈpɔɹtɛnt//ˈpo(ː)ɹtɛnt/

noun

Something that portends an event about to occur, especially an unfortunate or evil event; an omen.

“a howl of dire portent”

Similar
omenpresageprognosticprognosticationprodigy
OriginLatin portentum →
UncommonScrabble 9
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Meanings

nounportent (plural portents)

plural portents

  1. Something that portends an event about to occur, especially an unfortunate or evil event; an omen.

    It was a portent of things to come.

  2. A portending; significance

    a howl of dire portent

  3. Something regarded as portentous; a marvel; prodigy.

Synonyms & antonyms

nouna sign of something about to happen

Similar
omenpresageprognosticprognosticationprodigy
Broader
augurysignforetoken
Also see
foreshadowomenpresageprodigyprognosticprognosticationsignificance

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

  1. Latinportentum
  2. Englishportent

Borrowed from Latin portentum, participle of portendere, from portendō (“to predict, to foretell”).

More words from Latin

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Bulgarian предзнаменование, поличба
  • предзнаменование (predznamenovanie)omen
  • поличба (poličba)omen
Dutch voorteken, voorspook
  • voortekenomen
  • voorspookomen
Finnish enne, ennusmerkki
  • enneomen
  • ennusmerkkiomen
French présage
  • présageomen
German Omen, (böses) Vorzeichen
  • Omenomen
  • (böses) Vorzeichenomen
Hindi अपशकुन
  • अपशकुन (apaśkun)omen
Irish mana
  • manaomen
Māori inati, tiramaka
  • inatiomen
  • tiramakaomen
Romanian semn, piază
  • semnomen
  • piazăomen
Russian знаме́ние
  • знаме́ние (znaménije)omen

Rhymes & wordplay

Anagrams

torpent
Cite this entry
APA

portent. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/portent

MLA

“portent.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/portent. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “portent,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/portent.

Source: portent on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.