as in ominous
being or showing a sign of evil or calamity to come
foreboding clouds began to gather
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in feel
a feeling that something bad will happen
I have this strange foreboding that your ski vacation will not turn out well, so be extra careful
Synonyms & Similar Words
2
as in portent
something believed to be a sign or warning of a future event
used to think that if he saw a blackbird fly over his left shoulder it was a foreboding of harm
Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in dread
suspicion or fear of future harm or misfortune
a pessimist who is always overcome by a sense of foreboding before flying on an airplane
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
variants
also forboding
as in promising
to show signs of a favorable or successful outcome
the dry summer doesn't forebode well for the harvest
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of foreboding
Nicole Fallert, USA Today, 23 July 2025
The Season 2 finale keeps the characters in Seattle but with more foreboding aesthetics.
—Daron James, IndieWire, 27 May 2025
Belinda Luscombe, Time, 31 Mar. 2025
Even the objective comedy of this storyline is framed with foreboding, like the water gun fight.
—Proma Khosla, IndieWire, 9 Mar. 2025
Josh Slater-Williams, IndieWire, 17 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for foreboding
Adjective
Series creators even issued a foreboding warning imploring fans to refrain from online harassment as the angst of the season plays out.
—Nicole Fallert, USA Today, 23 July 2025
The Season 2 finale keeps the characters in Seattle but with more foreboding aesthetics.
—Daron James, IndieWire, 27 May 2025
Noun
His artworks, which include paintings, sculptures, mixed-media assemblages, mosaics, photographs, and film, are full of mood and foreboding.
—Belinda Luscombe, Time, 31 Mar. 2025
Even the objective comedy of this storyline is framed with foreboding, like the water gun fight.
—Proma Khosla, IndieWire, 9 Mar. 2025
Verb
Despite the seemingly sweet resolution to their storyline (and an ostensibly upbeat last line of dialogue), there’s a strange undercurrent to the Nagisa and Natsuo segment that suggests foreboding as much as potential happiness — a mysterious tension befitting the creator that Miyake is adapting.
—Josh Slater-Williams, IndieWire, 17 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for foreboding
Recent Examples of Synonyms for foreboding
Adjective
-
Stay vigilant by monitoring the sky for ominous signs and listening for the telltale sound of thunder.—
Bay Area Weather Report,
Mercury News,
10 Sep. 2025
-
Headlines about Social Security are equally ominous.—
Ryan Ermey,
CNBC,
9 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Athletique There is something edgy yet soft about a funnel-neck in a technical fabric—lean in and pair a wind- and water-resistant shell with trousers and sneakers for a touch of sport, or style it with a pencil skirt and kitten heels for a more feminine feel.—
Andrea Zendejas,
Vogue,
16 Sep. 2025
-
Hyaluronic acid, glycerin, and baobab extract give the powder its silky feel and keep your skin from drying out, while amethyst powder and quartz impart a soft, radiant glow.—
Sophia Panych,
Allure,
16 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Keane, though, sees nothing but disaster ahead, a portent presaged by some of the film’s most enduring images, like a stretch limo with a flat tire and a steam room littered with empty champagne bottles.—
Damon Wise,
Deadline,
5 Sep. 2025
-
As portents go, after a testing summer for Newcastle, this did not look altogether positive.—
The Athletic UK Staff,
New York Times,
20 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
Dixon looks ahead with a mix of optimism and dread.—
Sarah Shephard,
New York Times,
13 Sep. 2025
-
The assassination of Charlie Kirk has united the parties in a sense of dread that the country has arrived at a dangerous place.—
Mike Lillis,
The Hill,
13 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
While these steps are promising, the OIG emphasized that temporary surge staff and policy memos are not enough.—
Walter Pavlo,
Forbes.com,
10 Sep. 2025
-
While terminology changes and treatment advances are promising, experts note that broader systemic and societal changes could make the biggest difference.—
Lauryn Higgins,
Flow Space,
10 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Whatever, Dever quickly recanted her earlier precise testimony to the FBI about the sinister doings by those two dodgy cops behind Karen Read’s SUV.—
Howie Carr,
Boston Herald,
13 Sep. 2025
-
The Haunted Carwash was the sinister concoction of spooky enthusiasts Long Vo and Veronica Young of Huntington Beach.—
Charlie Vargas,
Oc Register,
12 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
All of this terrified his father, Charlie, a former cop who had a premonition that something would go wrong.—
Seth Wickersham,
The Atlantic,
8 Sep. 2025
-
Indeed, their many years together reveal themselves as the vital heart of Romano’s own artistic output, as scattered throughout these pages appear pieces of her earlier books and, especially, poems, which come to assume the aura of dreamlike premonitions.—
Brian Robert Moore
September 5,
Literary Hub,
5 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Schuyler, who a decade ago sold her company, Epitome Pictures, to DHX Media, a forerunner of Wild Brain Entertainment, was not available for comment on Wednesday.—
Etan Vlessing,
HollywoodReporter,
10 Sep. 2025
-
The reactor is the forerunner to the Aalo Pod, a 50-megawatt modular power plant designed specifically for data centers.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
29 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Foreboding.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/foreboding. Accessed 17 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share