foreshadowing

noun

fore·​shad·​ow·​ing fȯr-ˈsha-də-wiŋ 

plural foreshadowings

: an indication of what is to come

If the history of the world were a novel, the events so strikingly chronicled in the photographs in this book … would seem a foreshadowing of the recent events …

—Ralph Novak

On this merry Christmas evening, however, no fears or dim foreshadowings of any coming event clouded our hearts or faces.

—Lucy Maud Montgomery

also : the use of such indications (as in a work of literature)

And, further, Rose is a genuine cliff-hanger, or page-turner, full of foreshadowing … and all the tried and tricky methods of creating suspense.

—John Simon

Synonyms

• forerunner
• hint
• precursor
• portent
• prediction
• omen
• foreboding
• presage
• suggestion
• herald
• augury
• prefiguring

Examples of foreshadowing in a Sentence

the hero's strange encounter with a grave digger is often seen as a foreshadowing of his own death

Recent Examples on the Web

That weakness could be a foreshadowing of the inflation to come. —Jj Kinahan, Forbes.com, 2 July 2025

Jesus also washed the feet of his disciples and shared a foreshadowing of Judas’ betrayal at the Garden of Gethsemane. —Chris Sims, Louisville Courier Journal, 13 Apr. 2025

The foreshadowing of the inevitable downfall started at the end of the district budget meeting when Ava’s nemesis, Crystal, developed suspicions about why Abbott was in a position to so graciously decline the money. —Ile-Ife Okantah, Vulture, 19 Mar. 2025

John wonders if he and his foreshadowing are chopped liver. —Stacia Brown, Vulture, 26 June 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1587, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for foreshadowing

• overshadowing
• shadowing