adumbrate

verb

ˈa-dəm-ˌbrāt How to pronounce adumbrate (audio)
Definition of adumbratenext
as in to foreshadow
to give a slight indication of beforehand the strife in Bloody Kansas in the 1850s adumbrated the civil war that would follow

Synonyms & Similar Words

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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 adumbrate In between, works by contemporaries complicate superficial ideas about his meteoric genius, and small, delicate drawings teem with an abundance of ideas — paintings never made, thoughts adumbrated then abandoned. — Philip Kennicott, Washington Post, 18 Oct. 2019 Nothing in America’s tepid 19th-century contributions to European classical music adumbrated it; nor did the homely and sometimes hokey popular songs of Stephen Foster. — Heather Mac Donald, National Review, 22 Aug. 2019
Recent Examples of Synonyms for adumbrate
  1. foreshadow
  2. anticipate
  3. prefigure
  4. predict
  5. imply
  6. herald
  7. foresee
Verb
  • Lee saw the events foreshadowing a dark future for his country and maybe the world — changes in technology and wealth leaving workers behind.
    — David Canfield, HollywoodReporter, 27 Aug. 2026
  • That framing foreshadowed a moment a few months later that would push Carney even further onto the world stage.
    — Desiree Adib, ABC News, 27 Aug. 2026
Definition of foreshadow
Verb
  • The arch will disturb the sightline between more landmarks than anticipated, the report said.
    — Matthew Daly, Los Angeles Times, 29 Aug. 2026
  • Reliable, independent government reporting is an important part of the information infrastructure businesses use to understand labor supply, anticipate change and make workforce decisions.
    — Sheila Callaham, Forbes.com, 29 Aug. 2026
Definition of anticipate
Verb
  • On the city’s West Side, the site of storied clubs such as Silvio’s as well as the Maxwell Street Market, blues musicians developed a style of electric blues in the 1950s that typically included a horn section (prefiguring soul music).
    — René Ostberg, Encyclopedia Britannica, 29 July 2026
  • Other Black families tried to hold on under the new regime but ultimately found Wilmington untenable and moved north, joining a local exodus that prefigured the Great Migration.
    — Lauren Collins, New Yorker, 3 July 2026
Definition of prefigure
Verb
  • In April, for example, the head of the International Energy Agency predicted that flights may soon need to be grounded in Europe due to jet fuel shortages.
    — Katie Silver, Fortune, 29 Aug. 2026
  • Processor defenses leave a tiny opening Modern processors improve performance by predicting which path a program is likely to follow and beginning the work before the correct path is confirmed.
    — Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of predict
Verb
  • The transition comes about one year after Stern and Cohen pranked listeners by having Cohen take over the airwaves and imply that Stern was fired and that Howard 100, Stern’s main channel, was now his own.
    — Caitlin Huston, HollywoodReporter, 1 Sep. 2026
  • The research firm upgraded the stock to outperform from in line and hiked its price target to $210 from $105, implying nearly 42% upside from Monday's close.
    — Liz Napolitano, CNBC, 1 Sep. 2026
Definition of imply
Verb
  • Its exterior is rich with symbolism, from stone carvings representing the all-seeing eye of God to a golden statue, atop the highest spire, of an angel blowing a trumpet to herald the Second Coming.
    — Brandon Griggs, CNN Money, 28 Aug. 2026
  • Maybe Druckenmiller owning his AI use and receiving the Journal’s blessing heralds a new era of guilt-free mechanized writing.
    — Will Oremus, The Atlantic, 27 Aug. 2026
Definition of herald
Verb
  • Quarter-sized hail (1 inch) is foreseen with the incoming storm.
    — NC Weather Bot, Charlotte Observer, 21 Aug. 2026
  • Not long ago, Phillies management foresaw Miller as Bohm’s inevitable replacement.
    — Anthony Stitt, Forbes.com, 20 Aug. 2026
Definition of foresee

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adumbrate
adumbrated
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Cite this Entry

“Adumbrate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/adumbrate. Accessed 2 Sep. 2026.

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