Signs of the times

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Meaning

Events or trends regarded as characteristic evidence of the present period. Singular is common for one example; plural often refers to a cluster of contemporary changes. Regional use: Early modern English Bible tradition; now international English.

Origin

Matthew 16 contrasts reading the weather with failing to discern 'the signs of the times'. Closely related English wording appears in sixteenth-century translations before the King James Bible fixed the plural form for generations of readers in 1611. The modern phrase usually drops the rebuke's theological setting and labels a revealing social or cultural trend.

Research Sources

  1. Matthew 16:3, King James Version Bible Gateway
  2. English phrases and sayings that derive from the Bible Phrase Finder
  3. William Tyndale The Tyndale Society

Variants

  • A sign of the times
  • Sign of the times
  • The signs of the times

Usage Examples

  • The empty cash desk is a sign of the times rather than a temporary fault.
  • Shared workshops and smaller offices are signs of the times.
  • She treated the rise in repair cafes as an encouraging sign of the times.

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