All words

portend

Meaning

To serve as an omen or warning of a future event.

Examples by difficulty

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

The dark clouds gathering quickly seemed to portend a terrible storm. Everyone felt a chill, a sense that something bad was coming. They knew they needed to get inside before the wind started to howl.

The dark clouds gathering over the valley didn't just mean rain; they seemed to portend a coming storm. A chill went down his spine as the wind picked up, a feeling of unease that warned him something bad might happen.

The sudden stillness of the cicadas, usually a deafening summer chorus, seemed to portend something. A heavy, unnatural quiet settled over the dry fields, making the air feel thick with an unspoken threat, as if the world itself was holding its breath.

The unusual stillness of the bioluminescent algae, their normally vibrant glow muted and dull, seemed to portend a coming disruption to the deep-sea currents. The normally bustling hydrothermal vents were eerily quiet, a deep chill seeping into the water.

The cracked ice on the old reservoir didn't look dangerous, just sad. But the deep, dark lines spreading from the center seemed to portend a collapse, a sudden drop into the cold, murky depths. We knew we shouldn't be there.

Normal: Standard, everyday language.

The sky darkened ominously, heavy grey clouds rolling in from the west. The sudden stillness in the air, the unnatural quiet of the birds, seemed to portend a terrible storm. A knot of dread tightened in my stomach as I watched the approaching darkness.

The sky's bruised purple hues seemed to portend trouble, a dark warning of the storm that would soon lash the coast. Every gust of wind felt like a shove, urging us inside, away from the inevitable fury.

The faint, rhythmic clanging of the ice floes against the hull seemed to portend a coming storm. Captain Eva gripped the railing, her knuckles white. The air grew heavy and cold, a palpable dread settling over the crew as the sky darkened ominously.

The unusual stillness of the bioluminescent kelp, a vibrant shimmer that usually pulsed with life, seemed to portend trouble. A prickle of unease ran down Anya’s spine as the light faded, a silent warning that something deep and unknown was stirring in the abyss.

The sky turned a sickly yellow, a color that made my stomach clench. This unnatural hue seemed to portend a storm far worse than the forecasts suggested, and the unease in the air was palpable as we hurried to secure the sensitive bioluminescent samples.

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

The darkening clouds and the sudden chill in the air seemed to portend a severe storm. A knot of unease tightened in her stomach as she remembered the last time the sky turned this ominous color; it had preceded a terrifying ordeal.

The storm clouds, a bruised purple on the horizon, seemed to portend trouble. A chill wind whipped through the trees, a stark warning of the harsh winter ahead. My stomach clenched, sensing the difficult months to come.

The chilling silence from the deep space sensors seemed to portend an imminent system failure. No blips, no chatter, just an unnerving quiet that tightened everyone's chests. It felt like the end of their mission, perhaps more.

The eerie silence of the bioluminescent fungi, usually a vibrant, pulsating display, seemed to portend a coming collapse of the cave's ecosystem. No one had seen a flicker in hours, and the miners felt a chill unrelated to the subterranean air.

The persistent tremor in the earth and the sudden stillness of the normally boisterous sand grubs didn't just feel unsettling; they seemed to portend a significant geological shift. A deep unease settled over the small nomadic community, their weathered faces mirroring the apprehension in the unnerving quiet.

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

The sudden silence from the usually boisterous city park began to portend a shift. The playful shrieks of children faded, replaced by an unnerving stillness that made the hairs on my neck prickle. A palpable dread descended.

The darkening sky and the frantic calls of seabirds seemed to portend a coming tempest. A gnawing unease settled in my stomach as I scanned the horizon. This disquiet wasn't mere apprehension; it was a premonition of the deluge that was about to break.

The encroaching fungal bloom on the chronometers did not portend a malfunction. Instead, it signaled a temporal bleed, a premonition of our temporal anchor’s imminent dissolution. The creeping phosphorescence was a stark warning.

The unusual migration patterns of the bioluminescent cephalopods, their synchronized ascents only ever occurring before seismic upheavals, seemed to portend a significant geological shift. The oceanographers, observing the eerie spectacle, felt a gnawing apprehension, understanding the silent warning from the deep.

The unnerving silence from the sensor array, the absence of the usual thrumming, seemed to portend a profound malfunction. A chilling apprehension settled over the technicians; this quiet was a stark warning of imminent critical failure, a harbinger of the unknown dangers lurking within the derelict vessel's core.

Difficulty

Advanced — Less frequent words that stretch an upper-level vocabulary.

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