portentous
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portentous
- /pɔːˈtɛntəs/ UK
- /poɹˈtɛntəs/ US
- [-ɾəs] US
Rhymes with -ɛntəs
Where it comes from
From Late Middle English portentuous, from Middle French portentueux (“extraordinary, prodigious; monstrous”) (modern French portenteux (obsolete except literary)), and from its etymon Latin portentōsus, portentuōsus (“marvellous; monstrous, strange, unnatural”), from portentum (“monster; omen, presage, portent; prodigy, wonder”) + -ōsus (suffix meaning ‘full of; overly prone to’ forming adjectives from nouns). Portentum is derived from portendō (“to foretell, predict, portend”) + -tum (an inflected form of -tus (suffix forming action nouns from verbs)); and portendō from por- (prefix meaning ‘forth, forward, onward’) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *per- (“‘before, in front’”)) + tendō (“to stretch, stretch out; etc.”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *tend- (“to extend, stretch”)). By surface analysis, portent + -ous.
adjective more portentous · most portentous · portentuous
-
Portending or predicting that something will happen; foreshadowing; especially, portending an evil or unfortunate thing; ominous, threatening.
Suche pꝛodigious ſightes were ſéene, ſuch vnnaturall woꝛking of the heauens, ſuch terrible ſightes on the earth, ſuch poꝛtentuous miracles then ſéene in Rome, that the Senatours came vnto Sibilla to knowe the effectes and endes of theſe monſtrous ſhowes, and to be inſtructed of the ſtate of the Citi
Similar: predictive, premonitory, prognosticatory, prophetic, augurous, baleful, bodeful, boding, dire, disastrous, divine, fatal · Opposite: unportentous
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Arrogant or grand in an affected manner; pompous, pretentious.
If such portentous lines as these may be introduced without reason, and without authority, there is an end of all editorship.
Similar: airy, arrogant, chesty, authoritarian, biggity, big-headed, blustery, turgescent, boastful, lordly, bombastic, buggish · Opposite: unportentous
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With a positive connotation: extraordinary, marvellous, wonderful; also, of great quantity or size; enormous, huge.
On the banke of this ryuer there is a towne of ſuch portentous byggenes as I dare not ſpeake.
Similar: ample, big, bodacious, broad, commodious, considerable, exceeding, expansive, good-sized, full, generous, grand · Opposite: unportentous
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With a negative connotation: frightful, horrendous, monstrous.
There is alſo founde a foure foted beaſt of mõstrous [monstrous] ſhape, whoſe former parte is lyke vnto a wolfe, ſauing that the feete are lyke vnto the fete of a man, with eares like an owle: Hauinge alſo beneath his comon belye, another belye lyke vnto a purſe or bagge, in which he kepeth his yong
Opposite: unportentous
Translations
Every language
adj portending or predicting that something will happen; especially, portending an evil or unfortunate thing — see also foreshadowing, ominous, threatening
| Español | portentoso |
|---|---|
| 日本語 | 前兆的な zenchou-teki na |
| Français | portenteux |
| Deutsch | bedeutungsschwer, unheildrohend |
| Italiano | portentoso |
| Русский | злове́щий zlovéščij |
adj extraordinary, marvellous, wonderful (cognates) — see also extraordinary, marvellous, wonderful
| Español | portentoso |
|---|---|
| Português | portentoso |
| Français | portenteux |
adj frightful, horrendous, monstrous (cognates) — see also frightful, horrendous, monstrous
| Français | portenteux |
|---|
Talk about this word "portentous." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/portentous. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. portentous. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/portentous "portentous." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/portentous.Cite this
@misc{portentous_2026,
title = {portentous},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/portentous},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
