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
Declan Gallagher, Entertainment Weekly, 30 Jan. 2026
Its insistent guitar chug harks back to the indie rock of Bury Me at Makeout Creek, but the song doesn’t stay there for long, melting into a foreboding orchestral swell and chorus of wordless voices.
—Marissa Lorusso, Pitchfork, 16 Jan. 2026
Andrew Ryce, Pitchfork, 6 Feb. 2026
There’s a sense of foreboding and dread.
—Damon Wise, Deadline, 13 Jan. 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
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
Its insistent guitar chug harks back to the indie rock of Bury Me at Makeout Creek, but the song doesn’t stay there for long, melting into a foreboding orchestral swell and chorus of wordless voices.
—Marissa Lorusso, Pitchfork, 16 Jan. 2026
Noun
Moeller’s music has always balanced beauty with foreboding—dub techno is nothing if not a melodramatic genre—but his newfound rhythmic restraint and beat wizardry feel like a step in a different direction.
—Andrew Ryce, Pitchfork, 6 Feb. 2026
There’s a sense of foreboding and dread.
—Damon Wise, Deadline, 13 Jan. 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
-
Stay vigilant by monitoring the sky for ominous signs and listening for the telltale sound of thunder.—
Southern California Weather Report,
Daily News,
13 Apr. 2026
-
Stay vigilant by monitoring the sky for ominous signs and listening for the telltale sound of thunder.—
Bay Area Weather Report,
Mercury News,
12 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
-
Stetson also gathered a lot of woodwinds, particularly clarinets, as a counterpoint to the trees and as a voice for the icy, violent dread that hangs over the Harkin-Cunningham nuptials.—
Sarah Shachat,
IndieWire,
11 Apr. 2026
-
But there is a more general dread about human vulnerability to technology—a growing existential fear that people are losing the authorship and agency of their own lives to, particularly, artificial intelligence—that will be reflected in an avalanche of related negligent-design legal claims.—
Jeannie Suk Gersen,
New Yorker,
9 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Artificial intelligence has quickly become the defining technology of the moment—promising breakthroughs from curing diseases to making space travel more routine, while also raising fears of widespread job disruption.—
Preston Fore,
Fortune,
13 Apr. 2026
-
So, that development was promising.—
Maddie Lee,
Los Angeles Times,
13 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
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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
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New research shows Hinton’s premonitions about the insubordinate streak of AI may already be a reality.—
Sasha Rogelberg,
Fortune,
3 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 18 Apr. 2026.
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