Thesaurus results for HARBINGER

Q: How is the word 'harbinger' distinct from other similar nouns?

Some common synonyms of harbinger are forerunner , herald , and precursor . While all these words mean "one that goes before or announces the coming of another," harbinger and herald both apply, chiefly figuratively, to one that proclaims or announces the coming or arrival of a notable event. // their early victory was the harbinger of a winning season // the herald of a new age in medicine

Q: When would 'forerunner' be a good substitute for 'harbinger'?

While the synonyms forerunner and harbinger are close in meaning, forerunner is applicable to anything that serves as a sign or presage. // the blockade was the forerunner of war

Q: When could 'precursor' be used to replace 'harbinger'?

The meanings of precursor and harbinger largely overlap; however, precursor applies to a person or thing paving the way for the success or accomplishment of another. // 18th century poets like Burns were precursors of the Romantics

harbinger 1 of 2

noun

ˈhär-bən-jər

Definition of harbinger next

as in herald

one that announces or indicates the later arrival of another her father's successful job interview was seen as a harbinger of better times to come

Synonyms & Similar Words

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harbinger

2 of 2

verb

as in to herald

to give a slight indication of beforehand the hope that the housing slump does not harbinger a general economic recession

Synonyms & Similar Words

Synonym Chooser

How is the word harbinger distinct from other similar nouns?

Some common synonyms of harbinger are forerunner, herald, and precursor. While all these words mean "one that goes before or announces the coming of another," harbinger and herald both apply, chiefly figuratively, to one that proclaims or announces the coming or arrival of a notable event.

their early victory was the harbinger of a winning season

the herald of a new age in medicine

When would forerunner be a good substitute for harbinger?

While the synonyms forerunner and harbinger are close in meaning, forerunner is applicable to anything that serves as a sign or presage.

the blockade was the forerunner of war

When could precursor be used to replace harbinger?

The meanings of precursor and harbinger largely overlap; however, precursor applies to a person or thing paving the way for the success or accomplishment of another.

18th century poets like Burns were precursors of the Romantics

Examples Sentences

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Recent Examples of harbinger

Noun

While broadly accepted at the time, Pertinax’s rise was a harbinger of sharper tensions that accompanied the collapse of social barriers, which would erupt under Gladiator II’s co-villain Caracalla. —

Jeffrey E. Schulman / Made By History, TIME, 20 Dec. 2024 There is way too much time left in the regular season to say, definitively, that Adam Silver’s tournament is a harbinger of what’s to come in April, May and June. —

Joe Vardon, The Athletic, 14 Dec. 2024 The relative consistency of the county-level shifts suggests that there weren't major coalition shifts this year, but even minor swings could be a harbinger. —

Geoffrey Skelley, ABC News, 10 Dec. 2024 Was this poor breadth over the last 10 days, was that the harbinger of something? —

Sarah Min, CNBC, 20 Dec. 2024 See all Example Sentences for harbinger

Recent Examples of Synonyms for harbinger

Noun

If Wired of the 2010s was the cheerful herald of a shiny, happy future (not a judgment!), this piece is its indignant child, pointing accusingly at the mess.

— Longreads, Longreads, 20 Dec. 2024
The part comes with all sorts of details that serve as the heralds of its legitimacy, like the fact that Jolie spent months in training to sing opera, her real voice blended with Callas’s famous one whenever her character performs.

— Alison Willmore, Vulture, 29 Aug. 2024