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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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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
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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Recent Examples of foretelling
Zev Fima, CNBC, 8 Mar. 2026
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
An optimist would read the internal market action in recent weeks as foretelling an early-cycle reacceleration/reflation dynamic setting up.
—Michael Santoli, CNBC, 8 Sep. 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 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
An optimist would read the internal market action in recent weeks as foretelling an early-cycle reacceleration/reflation dynamic setting up.
—Michael Santoli, CNBC, 8 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for foretelling
Noun
-
The crypto traders first moved on to gold, and then left the precious metal and went to prediction markets.—
Jim Cramer,
CNBC,
29 Mar. 2026
-
The vacation prediction yielded similar results.—
Ryan Brennan,
Kansas City Star,
29 Mar. 2026
Verb
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But workers are also wary of the risks threatening typical 9-to-5 roles, with future-of-work reports and big-name CEOs predicting widespread workforce changes.—
Megan Sauer
Sarah Jackson
Sophie Caldwell,
CNBC,
27 Mar. 2026
-
Users on Polymarket and Kalshi had placed bets totaling about $11 million as of Friday morning towards predicting who will win.—
Lia Russell
March 27,
Sacbee.com,
27 Mar. 2026
Noun
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The technology includes creative analysis for scripts and projects, packaging suggestions, as well as market forecasting about how the film will do commercially.—
Brent Lang,
Variety,
30 Mar. 2026
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The hands-on, immersive experience assisted in honing space weather forecasting activities, not only for Artemis 2 but also the future.—
Leonard David,
Space.com,
30 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Meanwhile, some good news is in the forecast for the drought- and heat-plagued West, as a cool, wet and even snowy pattern is forecast to bring some relief that's desperately needed across the region.—
Doyle Rice,
USA Today,
28 Mar. 2026
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The most optimistic forecast put them middle-of-the-pack at 15th while most others placed them somewhere in the 20s.—
Michael McGough,
Sacbee.com,
28 Mar. 2026
Noun
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The wry commentary eventually curdled into ironic prophecy, as Keynes became one of those defunct economists.—
Megan McArdle,
Washington Post,
29 Mar. 2026
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It has also been viewed by many as an allegorical commentary on first century Christianity and Rome, and has been seen as an impending apocalyptic prophecy by generations ever since.—
City News Service,
Oc Register,
28 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Foretelling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/foretelling. Accessed 2 Apr. 2026.
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