as in ominous
being or showing a sign of evil or calamity to come
foreboding clouds began to gather
Synonyms & Similar Words
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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
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Recent Examples of foreboding
Leonard David, Space.com, 13 May 2025
The lack of demand has further applied downward pressure on freight rates—a foreboding sign for trucking companies.
—Glenn Taylor, Sourcing Journal, 22 Apr. 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
See All Example Sentences for foreboding
Adjective
Those collectibles may well hold signs of past life on that enigmatic, dusty and foreboding world.
—Leonard David, Space.com, 13 May 2025
The lack of demand has further applied downward pressure on freight rates—a foreboding sign for trucking companies.
—Glenn Taylor, Sourcing Journal, 22 Apr. 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
See All Example Sentences for foreboding
Recent Examples of Synonyms for foreboding
Adjective
-
If the sky turns ominous and thunder can be heard, find a secure place for shelter.—
CA Weather Bot,
Sacbee.com,
1 Aug. 2025
-
Things kick off on an ominous note as 11-year-old Polly (Ana Sophia Heger) continues to wait for her mom to pick her up at school long after her classmates and teachers have departed.—
Joe Leydon,
Variety,
1 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
Just off the sand, antique shops and farm stands along the streets of Southampton give it a small-town feel.—
AFAR Media,
AFAR Media,
14 July 2025
-
Where To Eat In Berlin, Maryland Start The Day At A Classic Diner Rayne's Reef Soda Fountain and Grill has a throwback feel that's genuine.—
Tara Massouleh McCay,
Southern Living,
13 July 2025
Noun
-
The spooky portent of the Paul Simon song slipped away as, for a few minutes, just about everyone in the crowd had to all be wondering whether, with access to spirit-rousing music even in dystopian times, we might still be forever blessed after all.—
Chris Willman,
Variety,
21 June 2025
-
The portents at Birmingham are not good given that in eight contests between the two nations, England have won seven and drawn one.—
Tim Ellis,
Forbes.com,
2 July 2025
Noun
-
Together with folklore professor Yeom Hae-sang (Oh Jung-se), San-yeong comes to understand both her own grief and the trauma death leaves behind as Revenant embraces the quiet, brooding dread that makes Korean horror genuinely unnerving.—
Geoffrey Bunting,
Time,
1 Aug. 2025
-
Tim’s family trauma, while prompting some delightfully repulsive SFX, seems to exist only for that reason, or to give the film an additional whiff of dread.—
Madison Bloom,
Pitchfork,
31 July 2025
Verb
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As one manifestation of Carter’s commitment, his administration began to oppose loans from international financial institutions to rights-abusing governments, promising to provide financial support only after these countries demonstrated concrete improvements on human rights.—
Michael Posner,
Forbes,
6 Jan. 2025
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Was Knies’ promising rookie season not necessarily a sign of things to come?—
Joshua Kloke,
The Athletic,
5 Jan. 2025
Adjective
-
He’s replaced talk of sinister tech monopolies with embracing Big American Tech, largely refashioned as Big American AI.—
Ben Smith,
semafor.com,
28 July 2025
-
Initially, it was suspected that Brewster had been hit by a car, but X-rays revealed a far more sinister truth: Brewster had been shot, leaving him with a severely fractured front leg.—
Maria Morava,
MSNBC Newsweek,
27 July 2025
Noun
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Just give us a new lead, a new premonition, and a new set of characters whose escape from the inciting disaster dooms them to even more horrifying ends.—
Louis Peitzman,
Vulture,
22 May 2025
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The movies had developed a bit of a formulaic structure where there was a premonition, the premonition was avoided, and then death came after the characters one by one.—
William Earl,
Variety,
16 May 2025
Noun
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Jarry is often cited as a forerunner to the Dada, surrealist and futurist movements in the early 20th century and later, the theater of the absurd.—
Scott Lafee,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
29 July 2025
-
Gilligan, who also created Saul’s forerunner Breaking Bad, will serve as writer and showrunner.—
Dave Nemetz,
TVLine,
25 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Foreboding.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/foreboding. Accessed 8 Aug. 2025.
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