as in to anticipate
to give a slight indication of beforehand
the strife in Bloody Kansas in the 1850s adumbrated the civil war that would follow
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Recent Examples of adumbrate
In between, works by contemporaries complicate superficial ideas about his meteoric genius, and small, delicate drawings teem with an abundance of ideas — paintings never made, thoughts adumbrated then abandoned.
—
Philip Kennicott, Washington Post, 18 Oct. 2019
Nothing in America’s tepid 19th-century contributions to European classical music adumbrated it; nor did the homely and sometimes hokey popular songs of Stephen Foster.
—Heather Mac Donald, National Review, 22 Aug. 2019
The helicopter crash, on the other hand, is a narrative dead end, merely adumbrating the portrait that Mr. Davenport will draw of Mr. Bezos as unflappable.
—Randall Stross, WSJ, 15 Apr. 2018
Philip Kennicott, Washington Post, 18 Oct. 2019
Nothing in America’s tepid 19th-century contributions to European classical music adumbrated it; nor did the homely and sometimes hokey popular songs of Stephen Foster.
—Heather Mac Donald, National Review, 22 Aug. 2019
The helicopter crash, on the other hand, is a narrative dead end, merely adumbrating the portrait that Mr. Davenport will draw of Mr. Bezos as unflappable.
—Randall Stross, WSJ, 15 Apr. 2018
Recent Examples of Synonyms for adumbrate
Verb
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The journalists from El Faro who broke the story fled the country before it was published, anticipating arrest.—
Michael Rios,
CNN Money,
1 June 2025
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Wind gusts of up to 40 mph and marble-sized hail (0.5 inches) are anticipated.—
KANSAS CITY STAR WEATHER BOT,
Kansas City Star,
1 June 2025
Verb
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This late comeback against Jon Lester and an Athletics team that had looked like a powerhouse through the first half of the season foreshadowed the next two Octobers in K.C.—
Tim Britton,
New York Times,
30 May 2025
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These examples foreshadow this emerging path of development, distinct from the Industrial Age model of cheap-labor, high-scale manufacturing for export.—
Robert C. Wolcott,
Forbes.com,
27 May 2025
Verb
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Something like our turbulence prediction module might someday be inserted into bigger climate models that can do better at predicting things like hurricanes.—
Steve Nadis,
Wired News,
1 June 2025
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Spinrad visited Southern California in late May and was taken aback by the number of people raising concern over the agency’s ability to continue predicting atmospheric river events, with all of their implications on public safety, reservoir operations and hydro power.—
Michael Wilner,
Los Angeles Times,
1 June 2025
Verb
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Its extreme hostility to the very idea of liberal governance, its skepticism of democracy, and its faith in the primacy of the wealthy over the law all prefigured the way that Trump and Elon Musk would assail key functions of government in 2025.—
Zack Beauchamp,
Vox,
7 Dec. 2018
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The widescreen, 35mm format prefigured IMAX and other high-density imagery in a way that still stuns on screen.—
John Wenzel,
The Denver Post,
31 Jan. 2025
Verb
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Just as its name implies, this oversized two-story vessel sits moored in the tranquil waters of Montego Bay, serving an extensive menu of mostly seafood dishes, but with a little something for every diner.—
Carley Rojas Avila,
Travel + Leisure,
3 June 2025
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The predominant color in both hotels is white, but as their names imply, Stella Nova is accented with cooler tones and starry vibes while Terra Nova has warmer, more terrestrial theming.—
Eve Chen,
USA Today,
3 June 2025
Verb
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The pop-rock effort was heralded as a critical triumph at the time, as well as a commercial juggernaut, and it is now regarded as one of the greatest albums ever.—
Hugh McIntyre,
Forbes.com,
30 May 2025
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He was heralded as the country’s youngest governor when elected at age 37, then became the first Connecticut governor in 200 years to win three four-year terms.—
Theresa Braine,
New York Daily News,
29 May 2025
Verb
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But these were either not available or not deployed quickly enough at the air bases targeted by Ukraine on Sunday – most likely because Russia simply didn’t foresee this type of attack.—
Benjamin Brown,
CNN Money,
3 June 2025
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Wind gusts of up to 60 mph and penny-sized hail (0.75 inches) are foreseen.—
KANSAS CITY STAR WEATHER BOT,
Kansas City Star,
3 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Adumbrate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/adumbrate. Accessed 11 Jun. 2025.
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