as in ominous
being or showing a sign of evil or calamity to come
foreboding clouds began to gather
Synonyms & Similar Words
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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
Hannah Giorgis, The Atlantic, 14 Feb. 2025
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
Lovia Gyarkye, The Hollywood Reporter, 26 Jan. 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for foreboding
Adjective
The music is eerier, and the environment seems more foreboding.
—Hannah Giorgis, The Atlantic, 14 Feb. 2025
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
Noun
But they are also weighted with foreboding, especially as Carter asks her to perform stranger acts.
—Lovia Gyarkye, The Hollywood Reporter, 26 Jan. 2025
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
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.—
STAR-TELEGRAM WEATHER BOT,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
30 Apr. 2025
-
The increasing suicide rates of the elderly in rapidly aging Japan and South Korea are an ominous sign.—
The Editors,
National Review,
30 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
Kima - a twist on the taverna in Marylebone Kima, in pretty Marylebone, brings the feel of a modern Greek taverna to London.—
Nicole Trilivas,
Forbes.com,
1 May 2025
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Depending on the style, a bed skirt can change the feel of the space.—
Cameron Beall,
Southern Living,
1 May 2025
Noun
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But the attacks could have been interpreted very differently: as a horrific case of blowback and a portent of resistance to U.S. hegemony.—
Stephen Wertheim,
Foreign Affairs,
17 Mar. 2023
-
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
Noun
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When the slasher eventually appears, stealing the group’s car before murdering them with a humorous bluntness, there is also a real atmosphere of dread.—
Lovia Gyarkye,
HollywoodReporter,
24 Apr. 2025
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But his ailment looked to be grave enough to warrant dread.—
Marcus Thompson II,
New York Times,
14 Apr. 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
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Or, more likely, The Sentry is simply the benevolent mirror image of that shadowy, sinister entity that emerges after Bob Reynolds ingests a super serum.—
Jeff Spry,
Space.com,
22 Apr. 2025
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However, what was happening behind the scenes was more sinister than what the public thought.—
Lea Veloso,
StyleCaster,
14 Apr. 2025
Noun
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His music is often haunted by death — premonitions that, in his case, proved correct.—
Hannah Edgar,
Chicago Tribune,
14 Apr. 2025
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Wagner commented that in opera the orchestra should act as a medium of premonition, indicating what is foreordained but not yet foreseen.—
Alex Ross,
The New Yorker,
7 Oct. 2024
Noun
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The case was the forerunner to U.S. Attorney General Janet Reno’s decision to snatch Elián from his cousin’s Little Havana home and reunite him with his dad in Cuba.—
Charles Rabin,
Miami Herald,
14 Apr. 2025
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Most of the forerunners of modern Zionism saw themselves as secular.—
Tamir Sorek,
The Conversation,
2 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Foreboding.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/foreboding. Accessed 11 May. 2025.
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