Meaning & use
harbinger
Last updated
Meanings
nouncountableliterary
A sign or person that shows something is about to happen, often something unwelcome.
Grammar: Usually followed by of: a harbinger of spring.
Patterns
- a harbinger of something
The first robin is a harbinger of spring.
Falling sales were a harbinger of bigger troubles.
Dark clouds acted as a harbinger of the coming storm.
nouncountablearchaic
A person sent ahead to arrange lodging for a royal or noble party.
Grammar: Historical sense; the person goes ahead of a king's travelling party.
Patterns
- a harbinger for someone
The king's harbinger rode ahead to find rooms in the town.
A harbinger secured an inn for the traveling court.
In old records, the harbinger prepared each stop on the journey.
Word forms
| plural | harbingers |
|---|
Common combinations
- a harbinger of change
- The new law was a harbinger of change.
- harbinger of doom
- The siren sounded like a harbinger of doom.
- a harbinger of spring
- Snowdrops are a harbinger of spring.
- serve as a harbinger
- The report served as a harbinger of the financial crisis.
- harbinger of things to come
- The first protest was a harbinger of things to come.
Synonyms and how they differ
- herald
- Herald can be a person who announces news, and it sounds more positive and public than harbinger.
- omen
- An omen is a sign believed to foretell good or bad luck, whereas harbinger suggests an early sign that really does come first.
- forerunner
- A forerunner is something earlier of a similar type, but a harbinger is a sign that something is coming.
Word family
- harbor noun
- the old root, meaning shelter
- harbinge verb
- a rare old verb meaning to act as a harbinger
- harbingers noun
- the plural form
Commonly confused: harbinger or harbor?
harbinger vs harbor
A harbor is a place where ships shelter; a harbinger is a sign of something coming, though both words share an old origin.
Practice
The unusually warm days in February were seen as a ___ of an early spring.
Choose one answer.
A harbinger of something is an early sign of it. Harbor looks similar but means a shelter for ships.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “harbinger”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.