as in prediction
a declaration that something will happen in the future
the ludicrous foretellings of self-styled psychics at the end of each year
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as in predicting
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Dissimilar Words
as in reading
to tell of or describe beforehand
a 16th-century astrologer who, some claim, accurately foretold 20th-century events
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Recent Examples of foretelling
Zev Fima, CNBC, 8 Mar. 2026
Tom Chivers, semafor.com, 21 Apr. 2026
The stories foretelling McGonigle’s talents are numerous.
—Cody Stavenhagen, New York Times, 24 Feb. 2026
Million-Follower Detective (February 12) This eight-episode Taiwanese crime thriller follows a mysterious woman who rises to fame and becomes a powerful influencer after accurately foretelling the murders of several social-media influencers.
—Dana Feldman, Forbes.com, 21 Jan. 2026
Apparently, the little man was an oracle, foretelling deaths with certainty.
—Literary Hub, 5 Jan. 2026
The opening night in Brazil provided the ominous but apparently foretelling moment, when one star player left his passing lane on a game-deciding third down.
—Sam McDowell December 15, Kansas City Star, 15 Dec. 2025
The track, written and produced by Danny Elfman, premiered in the 1993 film The Nightmare Before Christmas (foretelling the blend of Halloween and Christmas decorations on the latest chart).
—Gary Trust, Billboard, 11 Nov. 2025
Those are the conclusions of two recent reports about spiraling utility bills, one looking at the past, the other foretelling the future.
—Daniel De Visé, USA Today, 18 Oct. 2025
Miami had been favored by 13 1/2 points but that whittled to 10 1/2 by kickoff, perhaps foretelling the close game as late gambling money flooded to the Cardinals.
—Miami Herald, 18 Oct. 2025
Noun
In the wake of Friday’s abysmal jobs report , investors are scrambling to understand whether the loss of 92,000 jobs in February was a blip or a foretelling of more payroll cuts to come as t he adoption of AI by corporations increases .
—Zev Fima, CNBC, 8 Mar. 2026
Verb
The Guardian similarly noted more than a dozen $100,000 bets on prediction markets foretelling the February air strikes on Iran, while The New York Times last month reported 150 bets of $1,000 or more predicting the start of the war.
—Tom Chivers, semafor.com, 21 Apr. 2026
The stories foretelling McGonigle’s talents are numerous.
—Cody Stavenhagen, New York Times, 24 Feb. 2026
Million-Follower Detective (February 12) This eight-episode Taiwanese crime thriller follows a mysterious woman who rises to fame and becomes a powerful influencer after accurately foretelling the murders of several social-media influencers.
—Dana Feldman, Forbes.com, 21 Jan. 2026
Apparently, the little man was an oracle, foretelling deaths with certainty.
—Literary Hub, 5 Jan. 2026
The opening night in Brazil provided the ominous but apparently foretelling moment, when one star player left his passing lane on a game-deciding third down.
—Sam McDowell December 15, Kansas City Star, 15 Dec. 2025
The track, written and produced by Danny Elfman, premiered in the 1993 film The Nightmare Before Christmas (foretelling the blend of Halloween and Christmas decorations on the latest chart).
—Gary Trust, Billboard, 11 Nov. 2025
Those are the conclusions of two recent reports about spiraling utility bills, one looking at the past, the other foretelling the future.
—Daniel De Visé, USA Today, 18 Oct. 2025
Miami had been favored by 13 1/2 points but that whittled to 10 1/2 by kickoff, perhaps foretelling the close game as late gambling money flooded to the Cardinals.
—Miami Herald, 18 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for foretelling
Noun
-
To be sure, some firms will likely boost their predictions as more earning roll in.—
Jason Ma,
Fortune,
10 May 2026
-
Karr pushed back against the more maximalist predictions made in the first few hours of the assault, claiming that JNIM could take over the country.—
Brady Knox,
The Washington Examiner,
10 May 2026
Verb
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This knowledge is critical for monitoring and predicting how our ocean-climate system is shifting, affecting both people and ecosystems in our changing world.—
Kurt Snibbe,
Oc Register,
8 May 2026
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Twenty years ago, during my first year as a geoscience undergraduate, a lecturer told me that predicting when and where the next major eruption would take place was a pipe dream — the implication being that volcanoes are far too idiosyncratic and mercurial to have much in common with one another.—
Quanta Magazine,
Quanta Magazine,
8 May 2026
Noun
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Either way, this eruption forecasting concept finds favor with several volcanologists.—
Quanta Magazine,
Quanta Magazine,
8 May 2026
-
Compelling evidence shows decentralized systems of market-like bidding generate more accurate predictions than traditional forecasting techniques of surveys or focus groups.—
Phillip Molnar,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
7 May 2026
Noun
-
Get the weather forecast for today here.—
South Florida Sun Sentinel,
Sun Sentinel,
15 May 2026
-
The Storm Prediction Center, part of the National Weather Service, has placed locations north of a line from Leavenworth to Kirksville within a slight risk (Level 2 of 5) for severe weather, with a marginal risk (Level 1 of 5) for the Kansas City metro and the remainder of the forecast area.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
15 May 2026
Noun
-
So her advice, over all, is to be wary of predictions and prophecies.—
Joshua Rothman,
New Yorker,
8 May 2026
-
That doomsaying prophesy in a Securities and Exchange Commission report came after the airline announced new flights from FLL, to Grand Cayman, Belize City and Key West.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
2 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Foretelling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/foretelling. Accessed 16 May. 2026.
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