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
Hattie Lindert, Pitchfork, 17 Apr. 2026
Images of Essiedu’s Snape already appear to capture the potions professor’s foreboding presence, but this casting has triggered a racist backlash online.
—Charlotte Reck, CNN Money, 26 Mar. 2026
Wesley Stenzel, Entertainment Weekly, 4 Apr. 2026
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
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
Her stunning 2025 debut, Waiting Room, interrogated horror and discomfort through probing and foreboding synthesizer drones and crackling bass; on Carve, she’s not done with her demons yet.
—Hattie Lindert, Pitchfork, 17 Apr. 2026
Images of Essiedu’s Snape already appear to capture the potions professor’s foreboding presence, but this casting has triggered a racist backlash online.
—Charlotte Reck, CNN Money, 26 Mar. 2026
Noun
The film is full of gorgeously expressionist black-and-white photography, stunning otherworldly production design, and a subtle sense of foreboding throughout that's one of the best the director has mustered in his illustrious career.
—Wesley Stenzel, Entertainment Weekly, 4 Apr. 2026
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
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
-
But recent days have seen the ominous appearance of public gun kiosks, where civilians are being offered basic lessons in using weapons – a sign of how the hardening Iranian authorities are readying people for further conflict.—
Matthew Chance,
CNN Money,
18 May 2026
-
The idea of a managerial change in October if Liverpool stick with Slot through the off-season feels ominous, because a couple of poor early results will bring back the negativity currently engulfing the club and his position will become untenable.—
Carl Anka,
New York Times,
17 May 2026
Noun
-
For all its history and tradition, the Preakness was expected to have a different feel this year.—
Andrew Greif,
NBC news,
17 May 2026
-
The nightlife and dining service staff gave off a familial feel—like a big Jersey family.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
16 May 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
-
Every May, millions of high school students sit for Advanced Placement exams with a mixture of dread and excitement, with many believing that their scores could measurably shift the needle in their college prospects.—
Christopher Rim,
Forbes.com,
18 May 2026
-
Up until shooting began, Seydoux was in a state of dread.—
Daniel D'Addario,
Variety,
18 May 2026
Verb
-
But Netanyahu’s coalition, supported by ultra-Orthodox parties, has tapped only small numbers of willing men, and has been promising to advance a bill—one opposed by more than four-fifths of Israelis—that would supersede the court’s ruling.—
Bernard Avishai,
New Yorker,
18 May 2026
-
By Carmen Arroyo, Bloomberg Elon Musk’s xAI asked employees earlier this year to offer up their own tax returns as training data for the company’s Grok chatbot, promising a $420 payment as incentive for doing so.—
Bloomberg,
Mercury News,
18 May 2026
Adjective
-
Anais has no idea that this institute in the desert is run by a secret cult – where healing is not the objective – but a gateway to something far more sinister.—
Roberto Prieto,
Variety,
13 May 2026
-
On their first album under the moniker, the two noisemakers from Animal Collective delight in this combination, foregrounding campfire acoustics while sinister drones lurk around the corner.—
Ethan Beck,
Pitchfork,
12 May 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
-
Las Damas was founded in May 1948 and put on the Beachcomber’s Carnival, a forerunner of the Sunset Beach Art Festival, in July of that year.—
Marla Jo Fisher,
Oc Register,
7 May 2026
-
The brand was also a forerunner with exclusive collaborations.—
Rosemary Feitelberg,
Footwear News,
7 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Foreboding.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/foreboding. Accessed 19 May. 2026.
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