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.
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Recent Examples of foreboding
Anders Fogh Rasmussen, Newsweek, 4 Feb. 2025
Last night, scientists began to hear cryptic and foreboding warnings from colleagues: Go to the CDC website, and download your data now.
—Katherine J. Wu, The Atlantic, 31 Jan. 2025
Michael Santoli, CNBC, 14 Dec. 2024
His aunts offered us tortillas to warm our hands while his uncle expressed dark forebodings about our chances of success.
—Kayla Aletha Welch, Longreads, 19 Nov. 2024
See All Example Sentences for foreboding
Adjective
As well as that, there's a foreboding shot of Galactus casting his considerable shadow over New York City.
—Anders Fogh Rasmussen, Newsweek, 4 Feb. 2025
Last night, scientists began to hear cryptic and foreboding warnings from colleagues: Go to the CDC website, and download your data now.
—Katherine J. Wu, The Atlantic, 31 Jan. 2025
Noun
Mid- to late-cycle expansions don’t need to draw fuel from a deep reservoir of fear and foreboding, the way early-cycle recoveries do.
—Michael Santoli, CNBC, 14 Dec. 2024
His aunts offered us tortillas to warm our hands while his uncle expressed dark forebodings about our chances of success.
—Kayla Aletha Welch, Longreads, 19 Nov. 2024
See All Example Sentences for foreboding
Recent Examples of Synonyms for foreboding
Adjective
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Living in this area means constantly being on high alert when the weather turns ominous.—
Tereza Shkurtaj,
People.com,
5 Apr. 2025
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The rest of the night wasn’t so bleak, but the ominous start did accurately forecast the result.—
Bennett Durando,
Denver Post,
3 Apr. 2025
Noun
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The Todd Snyder x Bon Iver Sweater Hoodie – $398 – crafted from Snyder’s signature Nomad yarn — a recycled Italian cashmere that offers a plush, lofty feel and the perfect weight for year-round wear.—
Jem Aswad,
Variety,
9 Apr. 2025
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Depending on the bike, this can counteract any wonky feel of the ride.—
Chris Cona,
ArsTechnica,
9 Apr. 2025
Noun
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Weinstein’s thuggish joke was just one portent of the edgy, borderline sinister air that permeated the party from the very beginning.—
Scott Huver,
The Hollywood Reporter,
28 Feb. 2025
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The natural threat of the caterpillars has shown up in cultural expressions as a symbolic portent of human mortality, Battisti points out.—
Ivan Amato,
Scientific American,
30 Jan. 2025
Noun
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Our familiar route turned into an obstacle course of dread, and every step toward the school building sent him deeper into a panicked spiral.—
Elizabeth Austin,
Time,
26 Mar. 2025
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Once the innie enters the room, it is forced to engage in an activity which coincides with things Gemma fears (going to the dentist, airplane turbulence) or dreads (writing thank-you cards).—
Stephanie McNeal,
Glamour,
21 Mar. 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
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The supernatural thriller is set in the Jim Crow South, where twin brothers—each played by Jordan—return home from Chicago with hopes of starting over, only to confront a sinister force that’s been waiting for them.—
Essence,
Essence,
2 Apr. 2025
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The banal village tunes that Mahler altered into sinister mock vulgarities—did these not recall the raffish klezmer bands, the wandering musicians who played at shtetl weddings?—
David Denby,
The Atlantic,
1 Apr. 2025
Noun
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The actor recurred as Father Lonigan, the blind priest who had premonitions of evil, in Passions during its nine-season run.—
Claire Franken,
TVLine,
9 Feb. 2025
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Rylance as Cromwell winces at the spectacle, a premonition of his own future.—
Taylor Antrim,
Vogue,
20 Mar. 2025
Noun
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The most obvious forerunner is Video Quartet, a 2002 work in which four screens show four videos simultaneously, each constructed from myriad film clips, all synced in a way that interlaces their soundtracks into a musical composition.—
Jonathon Keats,
Forbes.com,
28 Mar. 2025
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Solution #4: Charles Schwab Schwab, a forerunner in discount brokerage, has a bank subsidiary that can do what banks usually do.—
William Baldwin,
Forbes,
16 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Foreboding.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/foreboding. Accessed 13 Apr. 2025.
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