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
Glenn Taylor, Sourcing Journal, 22 Apr. 2025
And then, as if Canadians needed more reminders, his closing statement was blunt, foreboding and all about the American threat.
—Paula Newton, CNN Money, 18 Apr. 2025
Matthew Wills, JSTOR Daily, 4 Feb. 2025
The movie’s very first shot, beautiful yet full of foreboding, finds her swimming in the Atlantic, her peace momentarily disturbed by the roar of a military helicopter overhead.
—Justin Chang, The New Yorker, 30 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for foreboding
Adjective
The lack of demand has further applied downward pressure on freight rates—a foreboding sign for trucking companies.
—Glenn Taylor, Sourcing Journal, 22 Apr. 2025
And then, as if Canadians needed more reminders, his closing statement was blunt, foreboding and all about the American threat.
—Paula Newton, CNN Money, 18 Apr. 2025
Noun
Its reappearance on the American scene in the twenty-first century should be taken as a foreboding.
—Matthew Wills, JSTOR Daily, 4 Feb. 2025
The movie’s very first shot, beautiful yet full of foreboding, finds her swimming in the Atlantic, her peace momentarily disturbed by the roar of a military helicopter overhead.
—Justin Chang, The New Yorker, 30 Jan. 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.—
CA Weather Bot,
Sacbee.com,
6 June 2025
-
Punched in the face That could explain the chain saw-wielding, the jumping up and down onstage, the manic baby-making and crusading for more spreading of sperm by smart people and the ominous Nazi-style salutes.—
Maureen Dowd,
Mercury News,
4 June 2025
Noun
-
For a spa-like feel, Sue Kim, director of color marketing at Valspar, suggests the shade Fragile Blue.—
Maria Sabella,
Better Homes & Gardens,
7 June 2025
-
This San Carlos Embroidered Linen Blend Mini Skirt has a high-rise fit and is made from mostly linen for a soft, lightweight feel.—
Michelle Tchea,
Travel + Leisure,
7 June 2025
Noun
-
Thus, the negative GDP change should not be taken as a portent of looming disaster.—
Bill Conerly,
Forbes.com,
6 May 2025
-
Unbeknown to player and club, the transfer carried portents of the sombre fate that awaited him.—
Tom Williams,
New York Times,
21 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
Looming over his studies and extracurriculars is a singular dread.—
Timothy Nerozzi,
The Washington Examiner,
8 June 2025
-
Kids might be excited about the end of the school year and for summer to begin, but many working parents who don’t know how to fill their kids’ long summer days may be feeling some dread right about now.—
Medora Lee,
USA Today,
8 June 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
-
Mitchell returned to the family’s Salt Lake City home months later with sinister intentions.—
Lynsey Eidell,
People.com,
8 June 2025
-
Picking from hundreds of hours of original, low-budget TV ads, Glassman tells the sinister tale of two restaurants battling it out in the town of Westridge County.—
Alison Foreman,
IndieWire,
5 June 2025
Noun
-
The production’s most elaborate sequence to shoot was Alex’s premonition, in which audiences would see the inside of the plane tear apart.—
Maureen Lee Lenker,
EW.com,
16 May 2025
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Instead, the film follows a woman, Stefani (Kaitlyn Santa Juana), whose grandmother, Iris (Gabrielle Rose), had a premonition and survived a tower collapse decades ago.—
Brendan Morrow,
USA Today,
16 May 2025
Noun
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The forerunner of today’s sleek MacBook laptops was the PowerBook.—
Cynthia Littleton,
Variety,
11 June 2025
-
Frederick Ashton’s for the Sadler’s Wells Ballet (the forerunner of the Royal Ballet) in 1952, with a resplendent Margot Fonteyn in the title role, put the ballet back into the mainstream repertory, though it wasn’t performed by the Royal from the mid-1960s to 2004.—
Roslyn Sulcas,
New York Times,
30 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Foreboding.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/foreboding. Accessed 20 Jun. 2025.
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