Skip to content
GREMockTests
Mock test
abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz
GRE vocabulary

harbinger

nounHigh-frequency wordMore H words

something that signals or foreshadows what is to come

Word origin: From Old French herbergere, one sent ahead to arrange lodging.

Start a free GRE mock test 39 minutes · free · instant score
In a sentence

Harbinger in a sentence

Here are example sentences showing harbinger in a sentence.

The early crocuses are often a harbinger of spring's arrival.

The first robins were long taken as harbingers of spring.

Synonyms
heraldprecursorforerunneromen
Antonyms

None listed.

Quick GRE check

Question 1 of 3

3 questions, about 2 minutes. How would you do on the real test?

Verbal · Sentence Equivalence

The new intern was so blank that she completed in two days a backlog her predecessor had let pile up for weeks.

Select the two answers that give the sentence the same meaning. 0 of 2 selected.

Usage & nuance

Using “harbinger” well

A harbinger is a sign or forerunner that something is about to happen. It can announce good or bad, though it often precedes something significant rather than trivial.

Keep going

More GRE words starting with H

habitual

done regularly and repeatedly, as a matter of habit

habituate

to make accustomed to something through repeated exposure

hackles

the erectile hairs along an animal's neck and back that rise in anger or fear; figuratively, a state of anger (as in 'raise someone's hackles')

hackneyed

made dull and unoriginal through overuse

hagiography

a biography that idealizes its subject and glosses over flaws

halcyon

marked by peace, prosperity, and happiness; idyllically calm

hallow

to set apart as holy or treat with great reverence

hallowed

regarded as holy or deeply revered

Common questions

Questions about “harbinger”

Harbinger (noun) means something that signals or foreshadows what is to come
Here is harbinger used in an example sentence: "The early crocuses are often a harbinger of spring's arrival." Another example: "The first robins were long taken as harbingers of spring."
Common synonyms for harbinger include herald, precursor, forerunner, omen.
Clusters with herald, precursor, forerunner, and omen in Sentence Equivalence. With no standard antonym, the GRE tests it alongside these words for something that signals what is to come.
Yes. Harbinger is a high-frequency GRE word, so it is worth prioritising as you build your vocabulary.

See these words the way the GRE tests them.

Take the free 39-minute GRE Quick Mock Test and meet words like this inside real Text Completion and Sentence Equivalence questions, with a worked solution for every answer.

Start a free GRE mock test
PreviousharangueNextharbor