What does augural mean?
Augural is a formal adjective describing anything that relates to omens, divination, or the foretelling of future events. It derives from the ancient Roman practice of augury, in which specially trained officials called augurs interpreted signs — most famously the flight patterns of birds — to determine whether the gods approved of a proposed action. In modern usage, the word retains this air of solemnity: an 'augural' silence, storm, or dream is one perceived as carrying prophetic weight, hinting at what is yet to come. The term appears chiefly in literary, historical, and critical writing rather than everyday speech, lending a passage an elevated, sometimes ominous tone. Its closest relatives are the nouns augur and augury and the verb inaugurate, all tracing back to the same Latin root. For writers seeking a precise, resonant alternative to 'prophetic' or 'ominous', augural offers both accuracy and atmosphere.
adjectiveRelating to, characteristic of, or functioning as an omen or prediction of the future; of or connected with augury.
- Of or relating to augury or omens; prophetic in nature.
"The sudden stillness before the storm carried an almost augural weight."
"The dark clouds gathering at dawn seemed to the farmers unmistakably augural."
"Critics read the play's opening scene as augural, foreshadowing the tragedy to come."
Before Rome made a single major decision, its officials watched birds fly — and 'augural' is what we now call anything that carries that same omen-reading power.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of augural
Augural comes from Latin auguralis, formed from augur, the Roman religious official who interpreted omens such as the flight of birds. The English adjective was adopted in the early modern period alongside related borrowings like augur and augury. Its deeper root is the same one behind 'inaugurate', which originally meant to install someone after taking the auspices.
Related word forms
How augural is actually used
A formal, literary adjective used far less often than its noun relative 'augury'. It typically describes signs, events, or atmospheres believed to foreshadow outcomes, often with a solemn or ominous connotation.
Easily confused with augural
Augury is a noun meaning the practice or an instance of divination, while augural is the adjective describing something that relates to omens or foretelling.