foreknowledge

Definition of foreknowledgenext
as in foresight
the special ability to see or know about events before they actually occur a suspenseful story about a man who has a frightening foreknowledge of disasters

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of foreknowledge Now this foreknowledge cannot be elicited from spirits; it cannot be obtained inductively from experience, nor by any deductive calculation. — Ethan Teekah, Encyclopedia Britannica, 11 Sep. 2026 However, there are common mistakes that can easily be avoided with a little foreknowledge. — Sj McShane, Martha Stewart, 29 July 2026 But if a 12-year-old Spider-Man fan in Dubuque, Iowa, got to watch the film without any foreknowledge, then the gambit was more than worth it. — Brian Davids, HollywoodReporter, 23 July 2026 That is one future no amount of foreknowledge or planning can avoid. — Culture Critic, Los Angeles Times, 12 May 2026 The younger daughter had arrived with foreknowledge of the role her older sister had already claimed. — Catherine Lacey, New Yorker, 5 Apr. 2026 Days later, Carlson began releasing The 9/11 Files, a five-part video series that suggests Israel had foreknowledge of the al-Qaeda attacks but withheld the information from the United States. — Yair Rosenberg, The Atlantic, 4 Feb. 2026 But even with that foreknowledge, the moment hits us like a truck full of dynamite, aided immensely by Thurman’s explosive shock at the sight of her daughter. — Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 5 Dec. 2025 The chat reportedly included discussions that could indicate ideological motivations, and possibly even encouragement or foreknowledge of the attack. — Stepheny Price, FOXNews.com, 16 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for foreknowledge
Noun
  • Balsillie and Lazaridis also deserve credit for having the foresight to buy QNX software for $200 million back in 2010.
    — Diane Brady, Fortune, 29 Oct. 2026
  • The United States’ network of defense pacts is poised to get stronger as its allies get stronger, but only if rebalancing occurs with consent, foresight, and respectful treatment of partners.
    — Charles Kupchan, Foreign Affairs, 19 Oct. 2026
Noun
  • As yet, and in spite of his former student’s prescience, Bell could not imagine the enormity of what would follow.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 20 Oct. 2026
  • This prescience reads as astounding prophecy today, amidst the shift of enterprise AI spending towards on-premise.
    — Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, Fortune, 8 Sep. 2026
Noun
  • That’s the practice of fortune-telling or divination using a deck of cards.
    — Caitlin Dewey, Vox, 22 Oct. 2026
  • Oracles, prophets and practices of divination offered guidance from inscrutable or enigmatic sources when ordinary human judgment reached its limits.
    — Ambuj Tewari, The Conversation, 29 Sep. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Foreknowledge.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/foreknowledge. Accessed 5 Nov. 2026.

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