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
Alan Taylor, The Atlantic, 27 Mar. 2025
The diverse cuisine, foreboding landscape, legendary music, and its resilient community are all what makes traveling to The Big Easy such a memorable occasion.
—Nicole Kliest, Vogue, 20 Mar. 2025
Matthew Wills, JSTOR Daily, 4 Feb. 2025
The movie’s very first shot, beautiful yet full of foreboding, finds her swimming in the Atlantic, her peace momentarily disturbed by the roar of a military helicopter overhead.
—Justin Chang, The New Yorker, 30 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for foreboding
Adjective
In the larger context of the global climate crisis, this image of a plane suspended between sky and water becomes a foreboding symbol.
—Alan Taylor, The Atlantic, 27 Mar. 2025
The diverse cuisine, foreboding landscape, legendary music, and its resilient community are all what makes traveling to The Big Easy such a memorable occasion.
—Nicole Kliest, Vogue, 20 Mar. 2025
Noun
Its reappearance on the American scene in the twenty-first century should be taken as a foreboding.
—Matthew Wills, JSTOR Daily, 4 Feb. 2025
The movie’s very first shot, beautiful yet full of foreboding, finds her swimming in the Atlantic, her peace momentarily disturbed by the roar of a military helicopter overhead.
—Justin Chang, The New Yorker, 30 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for foreboding
Recent Examples of Synonyms for foreboding
Adjective
-
There’s a shift in the second to last episode when Michaela suddenly becomes not ridiculous or ominous, but self-aware and human and someone who very clearly sees what a fraud her life has been.—
Nina Metz,
Chicago Tribune,
22 May 2025
-
In a small 18th-century English village, locals hear ominous barking.—
Shannon Carlin,
Time,
22 May 2025
Noun
-
Another Buffy option, this comforter is known for its top-tier temperature regulation and plush-to-the-touch feel.—
Nashia Baker,
Architectural Digest,
28 May 2025
-
These layers will lead the eye upward and make a yard feel properly drenched in green. 5.—
Miranda Crowell,
Better Homes & Gardens,
27 May 2025
Noun
-
And the portents were not just in Henderson’s and Nuzzo’s paper.—
David Zweig,
The Atlantic,
17 Apr. 2025
-
Matthew stresses royalty, prefacing the birth with heavenly portents; afterward, Magi bear royal gifts to a future king.—
Judith Shulevitz,
The Atlantic,
1 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
At night, the power was often cut, and guards would scream threats into the darkness, heightening dread and disorientation.—
Antonio Maria Delgado,
Miami Herald,
20 May 2025
-
Anxiety is a feeling of fear and dread, often triggered by stressful situations, uncertainty, and perceived threats.12 People whose anxiety does not go away or gets worse over time may have an anxiety disorder.—
Emmanuella Ogbonna,
Health,
19 May 2025
Verb
-
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
-
With the two men mismatched in temperament and direction, Diller was gone in a year and a half—fleeing one sinister Davis (Martin) for the arms of another, equally sinister one (Marvin), who controlled Twentieth Century Fox.—
Adam Gopnik,
New Yorker,
19 May 2025
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Though it was written around the time of Malibu’s Woolsey fire, the 14-minute long dirge that encompasses flames in Malibu and a cougar that roams the hills took on a new and sinister meaning in the aftermath of the more recent fires.—
Chris Willman,
Variety,
19 May 2025
Noun
-
But instead of continuing the story at the moment Iris comes to after her vision, the film jumps forward to the present day, where Iris’ premonition has become her granddaughter Stefanie’s (Kaitlyn Santa Juana) recurring nightmare.—
Louis Peitzman,
Vulture,
22 May 2025
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But Annabelle is also haunted by terrifying dreams — ones where her family are affected — and which Annabelle soon realizes aren’t just figments of her imagination, but premonitions of what’s to come.—
Carly Tagen-Dye,
People.com,
19 May 2025
Noun
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Military training was also a non-starter, since the U.S. Army Air Service (a forerunner to the Air Force) did not accept women.—
Victor Luckerson,
Smithsonian Magazine,
13 May 2025
-
It has been said that Nomad was the forerunner of all modern station wagons.—
David Krumboltz,
Mercury News,
27 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Foreboding.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/foreboding. Accessed 3 Jun. 2025.
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