writing on the wall

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

The state’s political leaders saw the writing on the wall: With the demographic shift, the ratio of family caregivers to aging parents was set to decline from 7:1 in 2010 to 3:1 in 2050.

From MarketWatch • May 13, 2026

Amanda Schmidt saw the writing on the wall a few months before her early-December layoff from a marketing job at a tech company.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 18, 2025

"I know the pain that I'm going through," she says, "and I could just see the writing on the wall that this was going to be a disaster for a lot of families and teenagers."

From BBC • Nov. 8, 2025

DraftKings has seen the writing on the wall.

From Barron's • Oct. 22, 2025

Flora wanted to object, but she could read the writing on the wall, or rather she could read the words that hovered above her and her father and the squirrel.

From "Flora & Ulysses: The Illuminated Adventures" by Kate DiCamillo