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
Literary Hub, 2 Mar. 2026
The estate of Wuthering Heights is foreboding and dark, with rocks splintering through the walls, while Linton’s Thrushcross Grange bears a Victorian aesthetic, containing the outside world.
—Emily Zemler, Los Angeles Times, 11 Feb. 2026
Sasha Rogelberg, Fortune, 24 Mar. 2026
Deacon chose not to score the series with the kind of ominous, foreboding tones common to true-crime documentaries.
—Jp Mangalindan, Time, 13 Mar. 2026
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
The dark and foreboding furniture in this room had been inherited from the grandparents Clara had never met, and her mother hated it.
—Literary Hub, 2 Mar. 2026
The estate of Wuthering Heights is foreboding and dark, with rocks splintering through the walls, while Linton’s Thrushcross Grange bears a Victorian aesthetic, containing the outside world.
—Emily Zemler, Los Angeles Times, 11 Feb. 2026
Noun
Tech executives have offered foreboding visions of the future of work due to AI, with ServiceNow CEO Bill McDermott predicting unemployment will exceed 30% in a matter of years.
—Sasha Rogelberg, Fortune, 24 Mar. 2026
Deacon chose not to score the series with the kind of ominous, foreboding tones common to true-crime documentaries.
—Jp Mangalindan, Time, 13 Mar. 2026
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
-
As the cave shakes and thunders, the scene gets more ominous.—
Megan duBois,
Southern Living,
4 May 2026
-
Stay vigilant by monitoring the sky for ominous signs and listening for the telltale sound of thunder.—
Southern California Weather Report,
Oc Register,
4 May 2026
Noun
-
Nearby, a fire pit and custom seating make the backyard feel staged for conversation even when nobody’s visiting.—
David Caraccio
May 2,
Sacbee.com,
2 May 2026
-
North Texas started Saturday with a cool and crisp feel, with temperatures in the upper 40s to low 50s.—
Nelly Carreño,
CBS News,
2 May 2026
Noun
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The company’s example was seen by many as a portent of the AI future.—
Geoff Colvin,
Fortune,
12 Apr. 2026
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Rather than receiving traditional care, however, Hylton was unwittingly plunged into a cold experiment in using remote work to offset hospital staffing shortages, which could be a grim portent in an age of AI automation.—
Frank Landymore,
Futurism,
8 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Across the Egyptian Theatre, Aero Theatre, and Los Feliz 3, more than 45 films will explore the universal themes of human suffering and existential dread in the latest edition of the event in its flagship city.—
Alison Foreman,
IndieWire,
4 May 2026
-
Fear and dread stalked employees working at the CSCU central office.—
Kevin Rennie,
Hartford Courant,
2 May 2026
Verb
-
The trio has also pored over California’s vintage newspapers, which are newly digitized, to find old mining companies’ reports on promising hot spots.—
Jennifer Wilson,
New Yorker,
4 May 2026
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Some findings are promising—but more research is needed For other potential uses of medical marijuana, the evidence is fuzzier.—
Jackie Flynn Mogensen,
Scientific American,
4 May 2026
Adjective
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Upending age-old narrative traditions, Paul’s heroism takes a sinister turn when Herbert reveals that the Bene Gesserit, an Illuminati-like secretive order of psychic matriarchs, has long been conditioning the Fremen to expect the arrival of a messiah, or mahdi, in their native tongue.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
29 Apr. 2026
-
This advertised butt jokes, campy fight montages and sinister Seth Rogen laughs.—
Clare Mulroy,
USA Today,
28 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Again, people have premonitions.—
Mike Ryan,
IndieWire,
4 May 2026
-
At the snap, Wake Forest defensive back Davaughn Patterson fulfilled Joly’s premonition, moving quickly toward the line of scrimmage in an effort to interrupt the tight end’s route out of the backfield.—
Nick Kosmider,
New York Times,
1 May 2026
Noun
-
Radio public affairs broadcasting is seen as a forerunner to television public affairs programming.—
Encyclopedia Britannica,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
1 May 2026
-
Hungary’s incoming premier today showed investors how austere he is compared to his forerunner.—
Jonathan Tirone,
Bloomberg,
16 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Foreboding.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/foreboding. Accessed 6 May. 2026.
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