augury

noun

au·​gu·​ry ˈȯ-gyə-rē 

-gə-

plural auguries

1

: divination from auspices (see auspice sense 3) or omens

Ancient augury involved the interpretation of the flight patterns of birds.

also : an instance of this

2

: omen, portent

" … the best augury of a man's success in his profession is that he thinks it the finest in the world."

—George Eliot

Synonyms

• auguring
• bodement
• cast
• forecast
• forecasting
• foretelling
• predicting
• prediction
• presaging
• prognosis
• prognostic
• prognosticating
• prognostication
• prophecy
• prophesy
• soothsaying
• vaticination

Examples of augury in a Sentence

a yearbook augury that of all the graduates, he would be the most likely to succeed

some people believe that a broken mirror is an augury of seven years' bad luck

Recent Examples on the Web

These signs seem to confirm Sahm’s augury that the economy remains healthy. —David Thomas, Forbes, 16 Oct. 2024

The auguries were not favorable for a Pétain acquittal. —Robert O. Paxton, Harper's Magazine, 17 Dec. 2023

Advertisement Remarkably, Kushner’s augury of a world coming apart holds true three decades later, including his prognostications about the dangers of climate change and the radical partisanship of the judiciary. —Peter Marks, Washington Post, 2 Apr. 2023

With this new investor, the augury for the cigar industry is good. —Nicholas Foulkes, Robb Report, 15 Apr. 2023

Word History

Etymology

Middle English augurie, borrowed from Anglo-French & Latin; Anglo-French augorrye, augurrie, borrowed from Latin augurium "divination by an augur, art of divination, omen, portent," from augur augur entry 1 + -ium, suffix of function or state

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

augury

noun

au·​gu·​ry ˈȯ-gyə-rē 

-gə-

plural auguries

1

: predicting the future especially from omens

2

: a sign of the future : omen