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
Leslie Felperin, HollywoodReporter, 22 May 2026
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
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
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
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for foretelling
Noun
-
But a battle could be brewing between the traditional bookmakers and the ever-growing prediction markets.—
Leonie Kidd,
CNBC,
7 June 2026
-
The Knicks’ odds of capturing the NBA championship reached 79% following their win Friday, according to Kalshi, where $275 million worth of predictions have been made on the outcome of the series.—
Antonio Pequeño IV,
Forbes.com,
6 June 2026
Verb
-
Many traders see China’s eventual return to pre-Iran war oil purchasing rates as the key to predicting when oil prices finally lurch higher.—
Devika Krishna Kumar,
Fortune,
6 June 2026
-
Perhaps granting the nation some reprieve, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has projected a below-average hurricane season, predicting eight to 14 named storms.—
Mallory Wilson,
The Hill,
4 June 2026
Noun
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For David John Gagne of NSF’s National Center for Atmospheric Research, the impact on weather forecasting is sizable.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
8 June 2026
-
Nationwide, the 15 host cities are seeing an average 15% increase in demand, said Bram Gallagher, director of economics and forecasting with AirDNA, said.—
George Avalos,
Mercury News,
7 June 2026
Noun
-
The good news is seasonal forecast models can skillfully predict marine heat waves three to six months in advance, depending on the region.—
Dillon Amaya,
The Conversation,
12 June 2026
-
However, aurora forecasts can change quickly because the timing and strength of a coronal mass ejection are difficult to predict.—
Jamie Carter,
Forbes.com,
12 June 2026
Noun
-
In the end, the race among Democrats became less a contest than a self-fulfilling prophecy.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
3 June 2026
-
Years of prior research had shown that discrimination and prejudice in the workplace hindered the performance of employees, a self-fulfilling prophecy that caused the targets of the discrimination to perform in line with the underlying assumptions.—
Rustin Dodd,
New York Times,
2 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Foretelling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/foretelling. Accessed 13 Jun. 2026.
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