augury

noun

ˈȯ-gyə-rē How to pronounce augury (audio)
Definition of augurynext
1
as in prediction
a declaration that something will happen in the future a yearbook augury that of all the graduates, he would be the most likely to succeed

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance
2
as in omen
something believed to be a sign or warning of a future event some people believe that a broken mirror is an augury of seven years' bad luck

Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in divination
the art or practice of foretelling future events by interpreting omens the gift of augury that Nostradamus purportedly possessed

Synonyms & Similar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of augury Dream books offered augury, poetry, and purpose—a kind of secular scripture for the numbers game. — Adam Gopnik, New Yorker, 4 Aug. 2025 If EVs are any augury, America’s days at technology’s vanguard might be numbered. — Charlie Campbell, Time, 29 May 2025 These signs seem to confirm Sahm’s augury that the economy remains healthy. — David Thomas, Forbes, 16 Oct. 2024 Advertisement Remarkably, Kushner’s augury of a world coming apart holds true three decades later, including his prognostications about the dangers of climate change and the radical partisanship of the judiciary. — Peter Marks, Washington Post, 2 Apr. 2023 See All Example Sentences for augury
Recent Examples of Synonyms for augury
  1. prediction
  2. omen
  3. divination
  4. forecasting
  5. forerunner
  6. forecast
  7. portent
  8. predicting
Noun
  • On Thursday, the hurricane center cranked up the predictions for rainfall for the panhandle.
    — Alex Harris, Miami Herald, 9 Oct. 2026
  • By then, despite the predictions, Callum was walking and talking.
    — Deepa Fernandes, STAT, 8 Oct. 2026
Definition of prediction
Noun
  • Could this be an omen for tonight’s game and the rest of the series against the Dodgers?
    — Adam Van Brimmer, AJC.com, 6 Oct. 2026
  • Now, traders are assessing what the moves mean for a swath of assets and wondering whether yields’ rapid climb is an omen that something could break in the market.
    — Alex Harring, CNBC, 25 Sep. 2026
Definition of omen
Noun
  • Oracles, prophets and practices of divination offered guidance from inscrutable or enigmatic sources when ordinary human judgment reached its limits.
    — Ambuj Tewari, The Conversation, 29 Sep. 2026
  • Kylie’s divinations lead her to a small English town called Thornfield.
    — Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 11 Sep. 2026
Definition of divination
Noun
  • The latest project will test whether the forecasting gains seen during the initial trial can be maintained as the technology moves from a limited dataset to hundreds of real-world household energy systems.
    — Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 2 Oct. 2026
  • When the event is death or violence, forecasting is readily perceived as not only monetizing harm but possibly even incentivizing it.
    — Simon Denny, Artforum, 1 Oct. 2026
Definition of forecasting
Noun
  • Dubbed the ‘American Turtle’ for its appearance, the submarine made three attempts to blow up British ships without success, but is considered the forerunner of modern submarines.
    — Staff Report, Hartford Courant, 16 Sep. 2026
  • Margaret and Alice are the forerunners of Lucy and Ethel, and Shakespeare’s comedy, written expressly to entertain, gives us a sense of what an Elizabethan-era situation comedy might look like.
    — Theater Critic, Los Angeles Times, 23 July 2026
Definition of forerunner
Noun
  • So don't limit your northern lights hunt to those forecast windows.
    — Daisy Dobrijevic, Space.com, 8 Oct. 2026
  • Barclays raised its forecasts for Henkel's haircare growth through 2028, with growth expected to accelerate further from the third quarter of 2027.
    — Sawdah Bhaimiya, CNBC, 8 Oct. 2026
Definition of forecast
Noun
  • Grâce à la merveilleuse découverte de la Science Chrétienne, nos prières pour le monde sont efficaces et portent leurs fruits.
    — The Christian Science Monitor, Christian Science Monitor, 21 Sep. 2026
  • Another way to see the Wasian moment is less as a portent of Asians being absorbed into whiteness and more as evidence of the desire to not allow that to happen.
    — E. Alex Jung, Vulture, 8 Sep. 2026
Definition of portent
Noun
  • With the 2025 college football season on the horizon, months of previewing and predicting soon will be in the rearview mirror.
    — Quentin Corpuel, Kansas City Star, 8 Aug. 2025
Definition of predicting

Browse Nearby Words

augurs
augury
august
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Augury.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/augury. Accessed 9 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on augury

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about augury

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

7 Words for Bad Endings and Rough Situations

The Words of the Week - Oct. 9

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)
See More

Popular

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
a cup of tea and a golf ball on tee side by side
Quiz: Sounds Like... Choose the word that sounds like it fits the clue...
See All