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
Brittany Spanos, Rolling Stone, 30 Oct. 2025
Abbott was the first to announce the deployment of the Texas National Guard to Austin through a foreboding statement on X, warning that any disorder wouldn’t be tolerated.
—Brady Knox, The Washington Examiner, 17 Oct. 2025
Karissa Waddick, USA Today, 31 Oct. 2025
Peppering dashes of humor into its brew of foreboding, the movie views the rise of an authoritarian movement through its effect on a family of unbelievers, covering a five-year period that begins in celebration and ends somewhere very different.
—Sheri Linden, HollywoodReporter, 27 Oct. 2025
Doreen St. Félix, New Yorker, 6 Dec. 2025
The windowless hallways are narrow in the federal building that houses this immigration court, and the agents’ stocky bodies are foreboding in the tight corridors.
—Catherine E. Shoichet, CNN Money, 1 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for foreboding
Adjective
The Hawkins kids have their lives on the line in the foreboding trailer for the final season of Stranger Things.
—Brittany Spanos, Rolling Stone, 30 Oct. 2025
Abbott was the first to announce the deployment of the Texas National Guard to Austin through a foreboding statement on X, warning that any disorder wouldn’t be tolerated.
—Brady Knox, The Washington Examiner, 17 Oct. 2025
Noun
The Air Force String quartet, outfitted with black instruments, played the foreboding soundtracks from movies, including Halloween, Jaws and Harry Potter.
—Karissa Waddick, USA Today, 31 Oct. 2025
Peppering dashes of humor into its brew of foreboding, the movie views the rise of an authoritarian movement through its effect on a family of unbelievers, covering a five-year period that begins in celebration and ends somewhere very different.
—Sheri Linden, HollywoodReporter, 27 Oct. 2025
Verb
Nile is skeletal like Jared Kushner; his thinness is foreboding, marking a disavowal of all that is sensual.
—Doreen St. Félix, New Yorker, 6 Dec. 2025
The windowless hallways are narrow in the federal building that houses this immigration court, and the agents’ stocky bodies are foreboding in the tight corridors.
—Catherine E. Shoichet, CNN Money, 1 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for foreboding
Recent Examples of Synonyms for foreboding
Adjective
-
Episodes are bound together by banal introductory voiceover, in which our narrator recites ominous clichés that, like everything in His & Hers, border on parody.—
Daniel Fienberg,
HollywoodReporter,
8 Jan. 2026
-
More ominous still is the thought of the FanDuel mentality extending into other areas of American life.—
Rand Richards Cooper,
Hartford Courant,
8 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Tagle notes these layouts showcase craftsmanship and express design intent, creating a bespoke feel.—
Maria Sabella,
Better Homes & Gardens,
7 Jan. 2026
-
People are drawn in by the nostalgic feel of its cityscape dotted with neon signs and public murals.—
Michael Salerno,
AZCentral.com,
6 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Many reckoned with its ideals; pervasive talk of liberty held particular portent for women’s lives.—
Jane Kamensky,
The Atlantic,
10 Oct. 2025
-
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
Noun
-
That last reassuring prediction lowered my dread meter enough to consider the Connecticut homegrown disruptive events that will require attention but do not threaten annihilation.—
Kevin Rennie,
Hartford Courant,
3 Jan. 2026
-
For many Venezuelans in Austin, news that United States forces had captured Venezuela President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, landed with a mix of relief and dread.—
Julianna Duennes Russ,
Austin American Statesman,
3 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Suamataia’s performance was promising enough that Kansas City moved Thuney to the Chicago Bears in March.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
8 Jan. 2026
-
Those vulnerabilities allow predators an opportunity to gain the trust of victims of any age by promising to meet those needs or to provide safety, housing or affection.—
Kaitlin McCallum,
Hartford Courant,
8 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
But as old tensions flare between them, Katie begins to experience terrifying visions and a ghostly presence warning of something sinister lurking aboard.—
Zac Ntim,
Deadline,
6 Nov. 2025
-
Which casts a show seemingly designed to bypass all judgments with respect to storytelling and taste, gliding straight to the pleasure center of some imaginary horny, enraged, shopaholic feminine id, in a fairly sinister light.—
Judy Berman,
Time,
5 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
The youngest chewing-gum seller would adopt the conspiratorial tones of a seasoned Kremlinologist, seeing signs and premonitions in every event.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
8 Jan. 2026
-
Gunnar Nelson and Matthew Nelson still wonder if their father, former teen idol Ricky Nelson, had a premonition before his tragic demise.—
Stephanie Nolasco,
FOXNews.com,
31 Dec. 2025
Noun
-
Perfected by forerunners such as Fiona Apple and Alanis Morissette, this fall has already seen two music stars gift us with lay-it-all-out-there lyrics.—
Dan Heching,
CNN Money,
28 Oct. 2025
-
The Park cinema launched under the ownership of Cineplex Odeon Cinemas, a forerunner of Cineplex and today an operator of multiplexes and out of home destinations.—
Etan Vlessing,
HollywoodReporter,
27 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Foreboding.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/foreboding. Accessed 9 Jan. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share