Synonyms of foresee

foresee

verb

fȯr-ˈsē 

as in to anticipate

to realize or know about beforehand

a freak accident that no one could possibly have foreseen

Synonyms & Similar Words

• anticipate
• predict
• divine
• fear
• envision
• foreknow
• foretell
• envisage
• prevision
• presage
• forecast
• visualize
• perceive
• prognosticate
• foreshadow
• prophesy
• forefeel
• prefigure
• dread
• forewarn
• augur
• alert
• caution
• discern
• preview
• apprehend
• foretoken
• descry

Synonym Chooser

How is the word foresee different from other verbs like it?

Some common synonyms of foresee are anticipate, divine, and foreknow. While all these words mean "to know beforehand," foresee implies nothing about how the knowledge is derived and may apply to ordinary reasoning and experience.

economists should have foreseen the recession

When could anticipate be used to replace foresee?

Although the words anticipate and foresee have much in common, anticipate implies taking action about or responding emotionally to something before it happens.

the waiter anticipated our every need

How are the words divine and foresee related?

Divine adds to foresee the suggestion of exceptional wisdom or discernment.

was able to divine Europe's rapid recovery from the war

When is it sensible to use foreknow instead of foresee?

The synonyms foreknow and foresee are sometimes interchangeable, but foreknow usually implies supernatural assistance, as through revelation.

if only we could foreknow our own destinies

Examples of foresee in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Economists are unanimous in predicting the central bank will shave its benchmark rate at that meeting, but are split on whether the rate could be shaved by 0.25 percentage points or 0.5 percentage points, with many foreseeing a bigger cut if the job market shows additional signs of weakness. —Aimee Picchi, CBS News, 6 Sep. 2024

The Atlantic Council foresees this demographic crisis lasting through the 21st century and resulting in a dwarfed pool of ethnic Russians. —Prarthana Prakash, Fortune Europe, 10 Sep. 2024

What Zamata couldn’t have foreseen, though, is that she would be asked to sing on the show in the presence of musical theater legend Patti LuPone. —Amos Mac, Them, 9 Sep. 2024

The Morgan Stanley strategist who foresaw last month’s market correction says stocks that have lagged the rally in US stocks could get a boost if data due Friday provides further evidence of a resilient economy. —Sagarika Jaisinghani, Fortune, 3 Sep. 2024