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
Emily Zemler, Los Angeles Times, 11 Feb. 2026
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
Christopher Vourlias, Variety, 7 Mar. 2026
And assuming Edmonton does make it, their path out of the division wouldn’t be that foreboding.
—Sean McIndoe, New York Times, 9 Feb. 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 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
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
Noun
There’d been a sense of foreboding since the French media giant completed its $2 billion takeover of South African pay-TV company MultiChoice last year, with the company mum on its post-merger plans and suspicion rampant that cost-cutting measures were in the cards.
—Christopher Vourlias, Variety, 7 Mar. 2026
And assuming Edmonton does make it, their path out of the division wouldn’t be that foreboding.
—Sean McIndoe, New York Times, 9 Feb. 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
-
The biggest difference between Mythos and previous AI models was its ability to autonomously exploit vulnerabilities, an ominous new facet of the industry’s transition towards agentic models.—
Victor Tangermann,
Futurism,
16 Apr. 2026
-
The team of astronomers credited for Apophis' discovery – David Tholen, Fabrizio Bernardi and the late Roy Tucker – were also responsible for coming up with the asteroid's ominous name.—
Eric Lagatta,
USA Today,
16 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
The footbed molds to your foot over time for a more personalized feel, and unlike most slides, the adjustable straps allow for a customized fit.—
Mariana Best,
Better Homes & Gardens,
11 Apr. 2026
-
This one-of-a-kind Feather Brooch, for example, is built on titanium in varying hues for a gossamer feel.—
Paige Reddinger,
Robb Report,
11 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
The company’s example was seen by many as a portent of the AI future.—
Geoff Colvin,
Fortune,
12 Apr. 2026
-
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
-
Tidy your payment app to see numbers without dread and choose calm reactions.—
Tarot.com,
Hartford Courant,
17 Apr. 2026
-
The public discussion still swings between utopian promise and apocalyptic dread.—
Barry R. Davis,
Boston Herald,
17 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Sunday marked only the first chapter, and an early test for a young, promising head coach.—
Doug Haller,
New York Times,
20 Apr. 2026
-
And in some clinical trials, psilocybin, MDMA and LSD have been found to have promising results in treating mental health conditions.—
Jackie Flynn Mogensen,
Scientific American,
20 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Needless to say, something very sinister and deadly lies at the end of their path.—
Dennis Harvey,
Variety,
11 Apr. 2026
-
The author, known for sinister tales like The Whistler and Sisters of the Lost Nation, has built a reputation for reinventing classic horror tropes by weaving in Native American folklore and stories passed down from his grandmother, an elder of the Tunica-Biloxi Tribe of Louisiana.—
Angelique Brenes,
PEOPLE,
10 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Our mascot was Pablo Picasso, and Cattelan had an actor walk around with a giant Picasso mask posing for pictures in the pre-iPhone era, an early premonition of the endless selfies.—
Jerry Saltz,
Vulture,
20 Apr. 2026
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They are also filled with apocalyptic premonitions that make sense only in a first-century context, when Jesus was credibly thought by his followers to soon be on his way back home, ready to take believers up to Heaven, or the moon, with him.—
Adam Gopnik,
New Yorker,
13 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 22 Apr. 2026.
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