as in forerunner
something believed to be a sign or warning of a future event
the hero's strange encounter with a grave digger is often seen as a foreshadowing of his own death
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
as in predicting
to give a slight indication of beforehand
a series of small tremors that foreshadowed the massive earthquake the next day
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Recent Examples of foreshadowing
Kate Bartlett, NPR, 18 Jan. 2025
Some epileptic patients, for example, can feel their seizures coming on and activate their implants, but others don’t experience such foreshadowing.
—IEEE Spectrum, 29 May 2015
Like the compulsive twisting of a pencil into a sharpener, Khatami tightens the narrative rope to excruciating effect with a series of ominous foreshadowings.
—Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 25 Jan. 2025
And because every number is loaded with callbacks and foreshadowings, both musically and lyrically, the rangy story is tied into a very tight thematic bundle.
—Jesse Green, New York Times, 20 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for foreshadowing
Noun
And some, with a bleak foreshadowing of what was to come, had written their names and the phone numbers of family members – on their chests.
—Kate Bartlett, NPR, 18 Jan. 2025
Some epileptic patients, for example, can feel their seizures coming on and activate their implants, but others don’t experience such foreshadowing.
—IEEE Spectrum, 29 May 2015
Like the compulsive twisting of a pencil into a sharpener, Khatami tightens the narrative rope to excruciating effect with a series of ominous foreshadowings.
—Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 25 Jan. 2025
And because every number is loaded with callbacks and foreshadowings, both musically and lyrically, the rangy story is tied into a very tight thematic bundle.
—Jesse Green, New York Times, 20 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for foreshadowing
Recent Examples of Synonyms for foreshadowing
Noun
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Indeed, VistaVision was the forerunner of IMAX 65mm, with its horizontal orientation.—
Bill Desowitz,
IndieWire,
21 Apr. 2025
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The company plans to recreate the mammoth, dodo, and Tasmanian tiger, or thylacine, by editing the genome of each species’ closest living relative to make a hybrid animal that would be visually indistinguishable from its extinct forerunner.—
Katie Hunt,
CNN,
4 Mar. 2025
Verb
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The 49ers being the sixth favorite to win the Super Bowl next year seems insane and more based on past success rather than predicting future success.—
Mark Davis,
Newsweek,
16 Mar. 2025
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Mapping features is not the same as fully predicting behavior.—
Cornelia C. Walther,
Forbes.com,
9 Apr. 2025
Noun
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Looking for Saturday’s Wordle hints, clues and answer?—
Erik Kain,
Forbes.com,
27 Apr. 2025
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Be warned: This article includes hints and comments that may contain spoilers for today’s puzzle.—
New York Times Games,
New York Times,
26 Apr. 2025
Noun
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CSAs have often been precursors to broader agreements among countries.—
Ngaire Woods,
Foreign Affairs,
22 Apr. 2025
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Many people at Saturday’s protest worried that the ruling could be the precursor to other judgments that diminish the rights of transgender people.—
Kwiyeon Ha and Pan Pylas,
Los Angeles Times,
20 Apr. 2025
Verb
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Analyst Joseph Spak lowered his price target to $51 from $64, implying 11% upside.—
Lisa Kailai Han,
CNBC,
10 Apr. 2025
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Citi kept its buy rating with a $265 per share price target, implying 46% upside to Friday’s close.—
Jim Cramer,
CNBC,
7 Apr. 2025
Noun
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But the attacks could have been interpreted very differently: as a horrific case of blowback and a portent of resistance to U.S. hegemony.—
Stephen Wertheim,
Foreign Affairs,
17 Mar. 2023
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Weinstein’s thuggish joke was just one portent of the edgy, borderline sinister air that permeated the party from the very beginning.—
Scott Huver,
The Hollywood Reporter,
28 Feb. 2025
Noun
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More Hall of Fame predictions: Will Deontay Wilder Be A Boxing Hall Of Famer? Will Regis Prograis Be A Boxing Hall Of Famer?—
Josh Katzowitz,
Forbes.com,
29 Apr. 2025
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And the early prediction is that the Patriots bank on getting more out of Polk than Bourne, who will turn 30 during training camp.—
Chad Graff,
New York Times,
29 Apr. 2025
Verb
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Now, the couple is eagerly anticipating the arrival of their first baby.—
Mark Davis,
Newsweek,
14 Mar. 2025
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That means skywatchers around the globe are anticipating a flood of incredible lunar images over the next few days.—
Robert Lea,
Space.com,
13 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Foreshadowing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/foreshadowing. Accessed 3 May. 2025.
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