Synonyms of foretell

foretell

verb

fȯr-ˈtel 

as in to predict

to tell of or describe beforehand

a 16th-century astrologer who, some claim, accurately foretold 20th-century events

Synonyms & Similar Words

• predict
• read
• presage
• anticipate
• prognosticate
• prophesy
• forecast
• augur
• warn
• announce
• foresee
• call
• portend
• promise
• forewarn
• bode
• vaticinate
• alert
• forebode
• declare
• divine
• proclaim
• herald
• caution
• foreknow

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• tell
• describe
• relate
• report
• narrate
• recite
• recount

Synonym Chooser

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

Some common synonyms of foretell are forecast, predict, prognosticate, and prophesy. While all these words mean "to tell beforehand," foretell applies to the telling of the coming of a future event by any procedure or any source of information.

seers foretold the calamity

How do forecast and predict relate to one another, in the sense of foretell?

Forecast adds the implication of anticipating eventualities and differs from predict in being usually concerned with probabilities rather than certainties.

forecast snow

In what contexts can predict take the place of foretell?

The words predict and foretell are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, predict commonly implies inference from facts or accepted laws of nature.

astronomers predicted an eclipse

How does the word prognosticate relate to other synonyms for foretell?

Prognosticate is used less often than the other words; it may suggest learned or skilled interpretation, but more often it is simply a colorful substitute for predict or prophesy.

prognosticating the future

When is prophesy a more appropriate choice than foretell?

While the synonyms prophesy and foretell are close in meaning, prophesy connotes inspired or mystic knowledge of the future especially as the fulfilling of divine threats or promises.

prophesying a new messiah

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of foretell

Primary victories for leftist candidates endorsed by New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani foretell bigger battles for a party trying to win back power nationally. — Karen Tumulty, Washington Post, 24 June 2026

The ink and watercolor Woman Hack Driver (1907), distilling its subject to a mere chassis, likewise foretells his eventual mechanization of human embodiment (and, conversely, his eroticization of machinic apparatuses). — Ara H. Merjian, ARTnews.com, 5 June 2026

But the drama here feels too diagrammatic, foretelling a tragic fate from the first scene onward as everyone parties down like their lives depend on it. — Leslie Felperin, HollywoodReporter, 22 May 2026

What that foretells for keeping that split career ongoing into the future remains to be told. — Chris Willman, Variety, 15 May 2026