Standard Lemma guide

portent

noun · 4 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • /ˈpɔɹtənt/
  • Received-Pronunciation: /ˈpɔːtɛnt/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • General-American: /ˈpɔɹtɛnt/
  • /ˈpo(ː)ɹtɛnt/ rhotic, without the horse–hoarse merger
  • /ˈpoətɛnt/ non-rhotic, without the horse–hoarse merger
  • rhymes with -ɔː(ɹ)tɛnt
  • rhymes with -o(ː)ɹtɛnt
  • rhymes with -oətɛnt
  • CMU ARPABET: P AO1 R T EH0 N T Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

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

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • It was a portent of things to come.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

A portending; significance

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • a howl of dire portent

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

Something regarded as portentous; a marvel; prodigy.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

noun

Meaning 4

a sign of something about to happen

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • he looked for an omen before going into battle

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: omen, presage, prognostic, prognostication, prodigy

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: augury, sign, foretoken, preindication

Narrower terms: auspice, foreboding, death knell

History

Etymology

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

Across languages

Translations

21 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Aramaic: ܐܵܬ݂ܵܐ (ʾāṯāʾ) — omen
  • Bulgarian: предзнаменование (predznamenovanie) — omen
  • Bulgarian: поличба (poličba) — omen
  • Dutch: voorteken — omen
  • Dutch: voorspook — omen
  • Finnish: enne — omen
  • Finnish: ennusmerkki — omen
  • French: présage — omen
  • German: Omen — omen
  • German: (böses) Vorzeichen — omen
  • Hindi: अपशकुन (apaśkun) — omen
  • Irish: mana — omen
  • Macedonian: пре́дзнак (prédznak) — omen
  • Māori: inati — omen
  • Māori: tiramaka — omen
  • Plautdietsch: Bediedunk — omen
  • Romanian: semn — omen
  • Romanian: piază — omen
  • Russian: знаме́ние (znaménije) — omen
  • Ottoman Turkish: فال (fal) — omen
  • Ottoman Turkish: اوغور (uğur) — omen