Words / C2

HAHB-inj-uh/ˈhɑːbɪndʒə/

A harbinger is a sign that something (often important) is coming: a harbinger of winter, a harbinger of change (literary/formal). Omen and forerunner are cousins; sign is everyday. Harbour as a verb is hide a feeling or a fugitive — different word. Do not call a definite cause a harbinger; a harbinger precedes, it does not prove.

Meaning

A sign that something, often important, is coming (literary / formal).

Examples

• “The first frost was a harbinger of a hard winter.”
• “The first frost was a harbinger of a hard winter, not the winter itself.”
• “A viral clip can be a harbinger of a scandal, or just a clip.”

Good to know

A forerunner; an omen (literary/formal). Everyday: sign. Mix-up: harbour (hide/shelter). Precedes; does not prove.

Near in meaning

forerunner

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