- Today's Word
Portentous
por-TEN-tuhs
Definition
(adjective) Giving a sign or warning that something momentous, often negative, is likely to happen; ominous.
Example
The sudden silence before the storm felt portentous, as if the air itself were holding its breath.
Word Origin
Portentous comes from the Latin portentosus, meaning “full of omens,” derived from portentum, a sign or warning of future events. In ancient times, portents were believed to be messages from the gods—unusual natural occurrences that signaled major change, disaster, or destiny.
Fun Fact
Across cultures, humans have always searched for meaning in unusual signs. Eclipses, comets, sudden animal behavior, and strange weather patterns were often seen as portentous—warnings of war, collapse, or transformation. Even today, psychological studies show that people instinctively assign meaning to silence, darkness, or sudden changes in atmosphere, proving that our brains are still wired to sense when “something big is coming.”
