Ranked by relevance and common usage.
Keep "portent" when the sentence already sounds natural, when a synonym would add unintended emphasis, or when readers need the most familiar wording. A synonym should clarify or sharpen the message, not simply make the sentence look more varied.
If two options seem close, choose the one that best matches the audience and purpose of the sentence.
Choose a synonym only if it keeps the core idea of "portent" intact in the sentence you are editing.
Check whether the replacement sounds more formal, casual, emotional, technical, or forceful than the original word.
Read the full sentence after the swap. Keep the synonym only when the sentence becomes clearer or more precise.
Review note: Synonym lists are ranked with lexical data and reviewed for practical writing value. Use the comparison notes, sentence evidence, and source labels together; a high-ranking synonym can still be wrong when the audience, register, or grammar changes.
After choosing a replacement for "portent", read the sentence once for meaning and once for rhythm. The best synonym should feel natural in the full sentence, not only accurate in a word list.
If the synonym makes the sentence slower, vaguer, or more dramatic than intended, keep "portent" or choose a simpler alternative from the closest-match group.
OpenGloss and ConceptNet supply richer edges like generalizations, collocations, and derivations.
5 total sentences available.
So wailed Creusa, and in wild despair / filled all the palace with her sobs and cries, / when lo! a portent, wondrous to declare. / For while, 'twixt sorrowing parents' hands and eyes, / stood young Iulus, wildered with surprise, / up from the summit of his fair, young head / a tuft was seen of flickering flame to rise. / Gently and harmless to the touch it spread / around his tender brows, and on his temples fed.
Source: tatoeba (6872507)
Thither I drew, and strove with eager hold / a green-leaved sapling from the soil to tear, / to shade with boughs the altars, when behold / a portent, weird to see and wondrous to unfold!
Source: tatoeba (6924310)
Somehow the silent snow, the waning traffic, the oncoming twilight, combined into a sense of ominous portent.
Source: tatoeba (12064369)
It was a portent of things to come.
Source: wiktionary
Showing 4 of 5 available sentences.
Closest matches include omen, adumbration, advance notice, augur, auguries.
Compare the replacement against real sentence context. This entry includes sample sentences so you can check tone, grammar, and meaning before swapping words.