Of late, this portentous mansion has begun to give signs of dilapidation and decay.
Source: tatoeba (11742106)
Portentous
/pɔː(ɹ)ˈtɛntəs/
Synonyms for "portentous" (114 found)
Ranked by relevance and common usage.
Closest matches (23)
Adjective(2 words)
Strong matches (34)
Related words (57)
Adjective(11 words)
Noun(2 words)
portuguese ominosopresaging
Adjective(2 words)
Choosing the right synonym
- Closest matches in this entry: foreboding, alarming, amazing, apocalyptic, astonishing.
- Sentence evidence is available for portentous, so synonym choice can be checked against real usage rather than a flat word list.
- Ranking signals come from wordnet, opengloss, moby, derived_reverse, and related lexical sources.
Synonym selection checklist
- Match the part of speech before comparing meanings.
- Check whether the synonym changes intensity, formality, or emotional tone.
- Read the replacement inside the full sentence, not just beside "portentous".
- Prefer the clearest word over the most unusual word when writing for speed or comprehension.
When not to replace "portentous"
Keep "portentous" 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.
Replacement workflow
1. Preserve meaning
Choose a synonym only if it keeps the core idea of "portentous" intact in the sentence you are editing.
2. Tune tone
Check whether the replacement sounds more formal, casual, emotional, technical, or forceful than the original word.
3. Re-read context
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.
Final fit check
After choosing a replacement for "portentous", 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 "portentous" or choose a simpler alternative from the closest-match group.
Related word relations
OpenGloss and ConceptNet supply richer edges like generalizations, collocations, and derivations.
More general
1 entriesMore specific
6 entriesbombastic dictionfateful signforetelling statementgrandiose stylegrave omenprescient phrasing
Collocations
5 entriesportentous implicationportentous momentportentous silenceportentous toneportentous warning
Inflections
2 entriesmore portentousmost portentous
Derivations
2 entriessimilar
5 entriesTranslations
28 translations across 15 languages.
Bulgarian
4 entries- важничещ adj (vain; marvelous; prodigious; wonderful)
- зловещ adj (ominous; portending evil)
- злокобен adj (ominous; portending evil)
- надут adj (vain; marvelous; prodigious; wonderful)
Catalan
1 entries- portentós adj (vain; marvelous; prodigious; wonderful)
Chinese Cantonese
1 entries- 凶兆嘅 adj (ominous; portending evil)
Dutch
1 entries- onheilspellend adj (ominous; portending evil)
Esperanto
1 entries- malbonaŭgura adj (ominous; portending evil)
Finnish
2 entries- enteellinen adj (ominous; portending evil)
- pahaenteinen adj (ominous; portending evil)
German
4 entries- bedeutungsschwer adj (ominous; portending evil)
- eitel adj (vain; marvelous; prodigious; wonderful)
- hochtrabend adj (vain; marvelous; prodigious; wonderful)
- unheildrohend adj (ominous; portending evil)
Hungarian
1 entries- vészjósló adj (ominous; portending evil)
Italian
1 entries- portentoso adj (ominous; portending evil)
Japanese
1 entries- 前兆的な adj (ominous; portending evil)
Norwegian Bokmål
3 entries- høyttravende adj (vain; marvelous; prodigious; wonderful)
- oppstyltet adj (vain; marvelous; prodigious; wonderful)
- svulstig adj (vain; marvelous; prodigious; wonderful)
Polish
1 entries- złowieszczy adj (ominous; portending evil)
Russian
1 entries- злове́щий adj (ominous; portending evil)
Serbo-Croatian
4 entries- zlòguk adj (ominous; portending evil)
- zlòslutan adj (ominous; portending evil)
- зло̀гук adj (ominous; portending evil)
- зло̀слутан adj (ominous; portending evil)
Spanish
1 entries- portentoso adj (ominous; portending evil)
Sample sentences
6 total sentences available.
Well may it sort [be fitting] that this portentous figure comes armed through our watch, so like the King that was and is the question of these wars.
Source: wiktionary
It is no longer in my possession, but my memory holds almost every word of its portentous message; and again I affirm my confidence in the sanity of the man who wrote it.
Source: wiktionary
The chaplain's first mention of the name Yossarian! had tolled deep in his memory like a portentous gong.
Source: wiktionary
Showing 4 of 6 available sentences.
Common questions
What are the closest synonyms for "portentous"?
Closest matches include foreboding, alarming, amazing, apocalyptic, astonishing.
How should I check whether a synonym fits "portentous"?
Compare the replacement against real sentence context. This entry includes sample sentences so you can check tone, grammar, and meaning before swapping words.