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Added 9 October 2026

portentous

/pɔː(ɹ)ˈtɛntəs/ adjective

Latin root: portentōsus Wiktionary

adjective Definition from WordNet 3.1, Princeton University. Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about portentous at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

Of momentous or ominous significance.
such a portentous...monster raised all my curiosity
Ominously prophetic.
Puffed up with vanity.
a grandiloquent and boastful manner

Origin

Of multiple origins: * Borrowed from Latin portentōsus, from portentus (“predicted”) + -ōsus. Compare earlier portentuous (via Middle English from Latin portentuōsus). By surface analysis, portent + -ous. * Borrowed from French portentueux

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)

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