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

Anyway, the hardware battle is really a harbinger of the next generation of tech systems. —

John Werner, Forbes, 4 Nov. 2024 For some residents, the changes were a harbinger of what happened in nearby Silver Lake, Atwater Village and Highland Park: lower-income people being priced out of housing and displaced. —

Ryan Fonseca, Los Angeles Times, 1 Nov. 2024 Looking back, Maslin feels Mezrich was a harbinger of the post-truth paradigm. —

Simon Van Zuylen-Wood, Vulture, 1 Nov. 2024 The salad blooms change with the seasons but are a harbinger of more modern flavors and clever use of regenerative flowers. —

The Bon Appétit Staff & Contributors, Bon Appétit, 21 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for harbinger

Recent Examples of Synonyms for harbinger

Noun

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
An 1867 painting lent by the Autry Museum of the American West shows an arriving train as a herald of progress, with deer fleeing its oncoming beam.

Anne Wallentine, Smithsonian Magazine, 8 Oct. 2024