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

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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

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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
  • The group’s predictions are nightmarish and agonizing to even contemplate.
    — Kevin Holden Platt, Forbes.com, 16 Aug. 2026
  • Jason Trost Smarkets founder The first choice, though, would be for Smarkets to run as a prediction markets exchange regulated under the CFTC, Trost said.
    — Ananya Chetia, CNBC, 15 Aug. 2026
Definition of prediction
Noun
  • An omen of the future — The firing is an event worth paying attention to, says Andon Labs CEO Lukas Petersson, because if AI keeps getting better at its current rate, more of us might be managed by AI bosses in the near future.
    — Billy Perrigo, Time, 14 Aug. 2026
  • Portents and omens, often thought of as signs, have long been important in Hoodoo.
    — Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 14 Aug. 2026
Definition of omen
Noun
  • Other common practices among Druids include the celebration of seasonal festivals, meditation, and divination.
    — Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 14 Aug. 2026
  • The competition series featured masters of shamanism, tarot, face and foot reading, saju and other divination disciplines competing in challenges that tested their abilities, using tools including fans, bells, dowsing rods and modern-day laptops.
    — Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 30 July 2026
Definition of divination
Noun
  • Demand planning capabilities on the Blue Yonder Platform utilize patented algorithms and advanced machine learning models to ensure that demand forecasting is not only highly accurate, but reliable.
    — Arthur Zaczkiewicz, Footwear News, 13 Aug. 2026
  • That is a forecasting problem, and attribution is most of the answer, because nothing can be forecast that cannot be seen by business unit.
    — Sanjay Srivastava, Forbes.com, 12 Aug. 2026
Definition of forecasting
Noun
  • 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
  • One of the forerunners today in Madeira and the Azores is António Maçanita from Azores Wine Company.
    — Forbes.com, Forbes.com, 20 July 2026
Definition of forerunner
Noun
  • Unsettled weather returns to the forecast Wednesday, with a chance of showers and storms.
    — Rachael Jay, CBS News, 20 Aug. 2026
  • But banks including Barclays, ING, and Goldman Sachs forecast rates would stay unchanged at least through this year; traders are betting on an 80% likelihood of a hike over the next year.
    — Prashant Rao, semafor.com, 20 Aug. 2026
Definition of forecast
Noun
  • Things are also tough for their friends, Elle (Yasmin Finney) and Tao (William Gao), whose constant bickering seems to be an ominous portent for their on-again-off-again relationship.
    — David Mack, CNN Money, 17 July 2026
  • The push for the category, which comes after Hot Ones earned Daytime Emmys noms in 2022 and 2023, carries symbolic portent, given the category’s housing of traditional late night; a nomination would truly signal a passing of the torch.
    — Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 8 July 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
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Cite this Entry

“Augury.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/augury. Accessed 22 Aug. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on augury

Nglish: Translation of augury for Spanish Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about augury

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