All words

harbinger

Meaning

Something that indicates or announces what will happen in the future.

Examples by difficulty

Basic: Simple, everyday vocabulary — the easiest to read.

The first crack in the dam was a harbinger of the coming flood. We saw it, that small line, and knew disaster was near. Fear gripped us as the water started to creep in.

The crackling static on the old radio was an unwelcome harbinger. Sarah knew that sound meant the storm was close, the wind already starting to howl. Soon, all the lights would go out, just like it always did.

The first chill in the air was a harbinger of the harsh winter to come. I saw the empty nests, a stark sign, and my stomach tightened. It meant the long, lean months were not far off, and we had to hurry with the repairs.

The tiny, yappy dog's excited barks were a definite harbinger of the mail carrier's arrival, which meant a pile of junk mail was coming. This daily ritual always signaled the start of my epic battle with the recycling bin.

The rogue sock, a lone survivor of the dryer apocalypse, lay on the floor, a fuzzy harbinger of laundry day's impending doom. Its lonely presence whispered of tangled sheets and misplaced underpants, a sure sign that the sock monster was about to feast again.

Normal: Standard, everyday language.

The first few dark clouds were a stark harbinger, an unwelcome sign of the storm to come. A chill ran down my spine, a premonition of the trouble that was surely on its way, mirroring the darkening sky.

The first cracked vial, its luminescence fading, felt like a grim harbinger. We'd spent years perfecting the antidote, and this failure, this slow seep of decay, whispered of what was to come, a sickness spreading unchecked.

The lone crow on the fence post was a chilling harbinger, its mournful caw echoing the fear that had settled in the village since the strange tremors began. Everyone knew its arrival meant trouble, a sure sign that the earth itself was about to unleash something terrible.

The lone, fluffy duck waddling down Main Street was a clear harbinger of chaos. We all knew, with a certainty usually reserved for tax season, that where this duck went, a stampede of confused tourists and rogue ice cream trucks would inevitably follow.

The sheer number of squirrels performing synchronized nut-juggling routines in the park was a clear harbinger of an unusually aggressive acorn season. My neighbor, who wears a tin foil hat year-round, declared it a sign that pigeons were evolving sentience. I just think they're hungry.

Advanced: Richer vocabulary that stretches an upper-level reader.

The darkening sky, a grim harbinger of the storm, sent shivers down my spine. The wind's sudden howl, a precursor to chaos, echoed the dread I felt for what was coming.

The sudden silence of the cicadas, usually a constant drone, was a chilling harbinger. It meant the storm, previously distant, was now upon them, the wind already starting to rip through the fragile construction of their shelter. They braced themselves.

The chilling wind, a harbinger of the coming blizzard, whipped around the lone surveyor. He shivered, seeing the darkening clouds as a clear sign of the difficult days ahead.

The ominous rumble from Uncle Barry's stomach, a prelude to his notorious spaghetti-and-beans feast, served as an unmistakable harbinger. His bloated countenance and the distinct *gurgle* were clear indicators of the impending gastronomical storm that would soon engulf the entire family reunion.

The incessant chirping of Reginald, the sentient, disco-ball-shaped hamster, was a clear harbinger of impending snack-related chaos. His frantic wheel-spinning, punctuated by tiny, high-pitched pronouncements about the gravitational pull of cheese puffs, reliably announced his desperate need for more.

Challenging: Rare, high-register vocabulary for serious word lovers.

The sudden silence was a harbinger of the storm to come. We had ignored all the earlier omens, but this stillness, this oppressive quiet, felt like a dreadful announcement of what was about to descend. A chilling premonition settled over us.

The sudden stillness of the factory floor, a cessation of the ceaseless clatter and hum, felt like a dire harbinger of the impending closure. Workers exchanged apprehensive glances, the palpable silence a chilling announcement of the future they dreaded.

The ominous crackle from the derelict comms unit, a static-laden whisper, served as a harbinger. It preceded the seismic tremor that rearranged the skeletal structures of the forgotten Martian outpost. We knew then, with chilling certainty, the end was nigh.

The peculiar aroma wafting from the compost bin, a pungent mélange of forgotten cabbage and rogue kumquats, was an undeniable harbinger. It heralded, with astonishing alacrity, the impending visit of a particularly corpulent and ravenous badger, a creature whose voracity was as legendary as its prodigious flatulence.

The aberrant cerulean glimmer preceding the great nebula's effluvium was a clear harbinger, foretelling the imminent cosmic ballet of intergalactic flatulence that would render all nearby celestial bodies effervescent with gaseous delight, much to the consternation of the stoic nebulae.

Difficulty

Normal — Everyday words worth reinforcing.

Appears in

Play word games with harbinger Take the 2 minute vocabulary size test