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

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

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of harbinger

Noun

Was 2025 the fluke of flukes or a harbinger of something worse to come for Andy Reid and friends? — Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 14 Sep. 2026 For all of its hazards, Instinct is a harbinger of where AI is headed. — Lila Shroff, The Atlantic, 13 Sep. 2026

Verb

This could harbinger a new age of electro-tech in Asia. — Ian Dexter Palmer, Forbes.com, 23 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for harbinger

Recent Examples of Synonyms for harbinger

Noun

Chain bookselling, which enabled the unification of the reading market, was one of the first heralds of a globalizing age.

— Nathan Heller, New Yorker, 19 Oct. 2026
This increasingly seamless connection between runway collections and store stock heralds a new meaning for commercial, repositioning the role of the runway.

— Joe Bobowicz, Vogue, 8 Oct. 2026

Definition of herald

Verb

When a doddering Joe Biden threatened the party’s hold on the White House and foreshadowed a 2024 congressional wipeout, Pelosi used her considerable influence to not so gently ease the president aside as Democrats’ nominee for the White House.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 21 Oct. 2026
The demand letter may foreshadow new legal filings in the ongoing lawsuit by CNN, MS NOW and Politico.

— Brian Stelter, CNN Money, 20 Oct. 2026

Definition of foreshadow

Noun

Koslow’s screen career began in 1976 as the writer of the film Lifeguard, a ’70s-era Baywatch forerunner starring a hunky Sam Elliott and Anne Archer.

— Tom Tapp, Deadline, 19 Oct. 2026
Rather than try to replicate his forerunners’ styles of success, Ternus has so far played to his own strengths—which are also those of Apple, a company that first and foremost builds beautiful products that spark productivity, creativity, and joy.

— Andrew R. Chow, Time, 15 Oct. 2026

Definition of forerunner

Verb

Sabbagh predicts this could transform the space industry from having less than 10 million users of mobile satellite services to being able to reach billions of users.

— Melissa Hancock, Fortune, 21 Oct. 2026
Some predicted the ad was likely to draw more empathy and interest in Acton from voters, and turn them away from Ramaswamy.

— Philip Elliott, Time, 21 Oct. 2026

Definition of predict

Noun

The three have also introduced tax plans that could be precursors to 2028 platforms.

— Jared Ochacher, CBS News, 20 Oct. 2026
Perhaps the clearest precursor to the complicated racial dynamics of deepfake memes is what happened on TikTok at the turn of the decade.

— Brady Brickner-Wood, New Yorker, 19 Oct. 2026

Definition of precursor

Verb

Because light obeys a superposition principle even under classical physics, this experimental breakthrough doesn’t imply that Schrödinger’s equation necessarily applies to objects 12,900 kilometers wide.

— Philipp Strasberg, Scientific American, 20 Oct. 2026
But to imply that a world-class athlete is exaggerating an injury to preserve his reputation is a staggering lapse in judgment.

— Matt Calkins OutKick, FOXNews.com, 20 Oct. 2026

Definition of imply

Noun

Every year after Halloween, Spirit Halloween’s stores empty out and the signs come down.

— Catherina Gioino, Fortune, 24 Oct. 2026
One particularly promising example is an MRI technique that identifies the central vein sign, a feature that can help physicians distinguish lesions associated with MS from abnormalities caused by other conditions.

— Bruce Bebo, STAT, 24 Oct. 2026

Definition of sign

Verb

On the city’s West Side, the site of storied clubs such as Silvio’s as well as the Maxwell Street Market, blues musicians developed a style of electric blues in the 1950s that typically included a horn section (prefiguring soul music).

— René Ostberg, Encyclopedia Britannica, 29 July 2026
Other Black families tried to hold on under the new regime but ultimately found Wilmington untenable and moved north, joining a local exodus that prefigured the Great Migration.

— Lauren Collins, New Yorker, 3 July 2026

Definition of prefigure

Browse Nearby Words

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harbinger

harbingered

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“Harbinger.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/harbinger. Accessed 27 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of harbinger

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verb

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