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

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of foresee

She is also believed by some to have foreseen the deaths of Princess Diana and Freddie Mercury, as well as the COVID-19 pandemic, as reported by CNN. —Joe Edwards john Feng, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 June 2025

Failures to foresee tectonic changes — and the lure of media moguldom — has turned one of the most storied names in Hollywood into a dealmaking albatross. —Liz Hoffman, semafor.com, 10 June 2025

For one, McDonald's core customer base consists of low- and middle-income consumers who are unlikely to be able to afford GLP-1 drugs, said Saleh, who doesn't foresee there being much overlap between the fast food giant's patrons and adopters of the drugs. —Anne Marie D. Lee, CBS News, 10 June 2025

The alert is in effect until 7 p.m. The storms are foreseen to bring marble-sized hail (0.5 inches) and wind gusts of up to 40 mph. —Bay Area Weather Report, Mercury News, 8 June 2025