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
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Recent Examples of foreboding
Declan Gallagher, Entertainment Weekly, 30 Jan. 2026
Its insistent guitar chug harks back to the indie rock of Bury Me at Makeout Creek, but the song doesn’t stay there for long, melting into a foreboding orchestral swell and chorus of wordless voices.
—Marissa Lorusso, Pitchfork, 16 Jan. 2026
Damon Wise, Deadline, 13 Jan. 2026
Ineke Zeldenrust, international coordinator for the Clean Clothes Campaign, a witness signatory of the Accord, has long nursed a sense of foreboding about where worker safety is headed in Bangladesh.
—Jasmin Malik Chua, Sourcing Journal, 15 Dec. 2025
Gideon Lewis-Kraus, New Yorker, 14 Mar. 2026
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
Blunt is at her most formidable in vengeful mother mode, and The English’s dark, foreboding atmosphere will haunt you in the best possible fashion.
—Declan Gallagher, Entertainment Weekly, 30 Jan. 2026
Its insistent guitar chug harks back to the indie rock of Bury Me at Makeout Creek, but the song doesn’t stay there for long, melting into a foreboding orchestral swell and chorus of wordless voices.
—Marissa Lorusso, Pitchfork, 16 Jan. 2026
Noun
There’s a sense of foreboding and dread.
—Damon Wise, Deadline, 13 Jan. 2026
Ineke Zeldenrust, international coordinator for the Clean Clothes Campaign, a witness signatory of the Accord, has long nursed a sense of foreboding about where worker safety is headed in Bangladesh.
—Jasmin Malik Chua, Sourcing Journal, 15 Dec. 2025
Verb
There was no obvious precipitating event, but the encroachment of Grok seemed foreboding.
—Gideon Lewis-Kraus, New Yorker, 14 Mar. 2026
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
-
If the sky turns ominous and thunder can be heard, find a secure place for shelter.—
NC Weather Bot,
Charlotte Observer,
5 Apr. 2026
-
Notes The day got off to an ominous start when Cosmic Heat broke her left front leg entering the stretch in the first race and had to be euthanized.—
Jay Posner,
Los Angeles Times,
5 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
The quickest way to make an ensemble feel more French?—
Lane Nieset,
Travel + Leisure,
4 Apr. 2026
-
Her easy jeans and beachy aviators give the polished jacket and bag a more casual feel.—
Katherine J Igoe,
InStyle,
3 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Somewhere in there was portent.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
30 Mar. 2026
-
This was only a portent of things to come — the protests were dwarfed by massive protests and riots against the regime in September 2022-2023, then the largest protests in December 2025 to January 2026.—
Brady Knox,
The Washington Examiner,
28 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
His dread turned to panic when Hochheiser, 79, was unloaded at Villa Rosa III, a 48-bed assisted living home with peeling paint, burglar bars, barren planters and a history of poor care.—
Carol Marbin Miller,
Miami Herald,
2 Apr. 2026
-
All have lost permission to work legally, a right most had while pursuing their asylum claims, compounding the worry and dread that has rippled through immigrant communities.—
Molly A. Wallace,
Fortune,
2 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
And beyond our atmosphere, the Artemis II astronauts set a record Monday as the farthest humans from Earth during a lunar flyby promising magnificent views of the far side never before witnessed.—
Leonie Kidd,
CNBC,
7 Apr. 2026
-
But after economic crises, Orbán came to power by promising prosperity to the rich and poor alike, said Gábor Scheiring, a former Hungarian lawmaker now teaching at Georgetown University in Qatar.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
6 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Noblezada stepped into the role of the tragically vivacious nightclub singer Sally Bowles, but rather than playing her unlikely lover Cliff, Carney was cast as the impishly sinister Emcee of the Kit Kat Club.—
Carey Purcell,
Vogue,
8 Apr. 2026
-
Distracted balances its celeb soiree with Southern California’s sinister edge, the malaise and monotony that can make sunny days so alienating.—
Daniel Felsenthal,
Pitchfork,
7 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
New research shows Hinton’s premonitions about the insubordinate streak of AI may already be a reality.—
Sasha Rogelberg,
Fortune,
3 Apr. 2026
-
Their map of Earth might carry a strange beauty, like the 1524 map of Tenochtitlan, and perhaps a dark premonition.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
1 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Williams had managed traditional Tex-Mex restaurants that were the forerunner of today’s Mercado Juarez Cafes.—
Bud Kennedy,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
1 Apr. 2026
-
The camp is a program of the Woodcraft Rangers, founded by author and naturalist Ernest Thompson Seton, whose pioneering Woodcraft Rangers program was a forerunner to groups such as the Boy Scouts.—
Jessie Dax-Setkus,
Oc Register,
22 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Foreboding.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/foreboding. Accessed 9 Apr. 2026.
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