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adumbrate

verb
ad·​um·​brate | \ ˈa-dəm-ˌbrāt How to pronounce adumbrate (audio) , a-ˈdəm- How to pronounce adumbrate (audio) \
adumbrated; adumbrating

Definition of adumbrate

transitive verb

1 : to foreshadow vaguely : intimate the social unrest that adumbrated the French Revolution
2 : to suggest, disclose, or outline partially adumbrate a plan
3 : overshadow, obscure bubbling optimism, not at all adumbrated by difficulties
Other Words from adumbrate Synonyms Did You Know? More Example Sentences Learn More about adumbrate

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Other Words from adumbrate

adumbration \ ˌa-​(ˌ)dəm-​ˈbrā-​shən How to pronounce adumbration (audio) \ noun
adumbrative \ a-​ˈdəm-​brə-​tiv How to pronounce adumbrative (audio) \ adjective
adumbratively adverb

Did You Know?

You aren't likely to find "adumbrate" in children's stories or on the sports pages. That's not because this shady word is somehow off-color, but rather because it tends to show up most often in academic or political writing. In fact, some usage commentators find it too hard for "ordinary" use (although they are hard-pressed to define "ordinary"). Art and literary critics have long found it useful, and it's a definite candidate for those oft-published "lists of words you should know" (especially for vocabulary tests). You might remember "adumbrate" better if you know that it developed from the Latin verb adumbrare, which in turn comes from "umbra," the Latin word for "shadow." To "adumbrate," then, is to offer a shadowy view of something.

Examples of adumbrate in a Sentence

the strife in Bloody Kansas in the 1850s adumbrated the civil war that would follow

Recent Examples on the Web

 The helicopter crash, on the other hand, is a narrative dead end, merely adumbrating the portrait that Mr. Davenport will draw of Mr. Bezos as unflappable. — Randall Stross, WSJ, "Stargazers See a Business Plan," 15 Apr. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'adumbrate.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of adumbrate

1537, in the meaning defined at sense 1

History and Etymology for adumbrate

borrowed from Latin adumbrātus, past participle of adumbrāre "to shade, represent by means of light and shade, sketch, outline," from ad- ad- + -umbrāre, verbal derivative of umbra "shadow" — more at umbrage

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More from Merriam-Webster on adumbrate

Rhyming Dictionary: Words that rhyme with adumbrate

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for adumbrate

Britannica English: Translation of adumbrate for Arabic Speakers

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