as in ominous
being or showing a sign of evil or calamity to come
foreboding clouds began to gather
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in feel
a feeling that something bad will happen
I have this strange foreboding that your ski vacation will not turn out well, so be extra careful
Synonyms & Similar Words
2
as in portent
something believed to be a sign or warning of a future event
used to think that if he saw a blackbird fly over his left shoulder it was a foreboding of harm
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3
as in dread
suspicion or fear of future harm or misfortune
a pessimist who is always overcome by a sense of foreboding before flying on an airplane
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
variants
also forboding
as in promising
to show signs of a favorable or successful outcome
the dry summer doesn't forebode well for the harvest
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Examples Sentences
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Recent Examples of foreboding
Janey Tracey, EW.com, 22 Sep. 2024
For the first half of the scene, director John G. Avildsen withholds any music — allowing the ambience of the announcers, the crowd, and the punches to build — until halfway through, a foreboding bell speeds us into the final, decisive round.
—Vikram Murthi, Vulture, 4 Mar. 2024
James Parker, The Atlantic, 1 Oct. 2024
Yes, there’s a world where this nagging injury — this sense of foreboding — goes away.
—Dieter Kurtenbach, The Mercury News, 13 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for foreboding 
Adjective
Set at the foreboding Nevermore Academy against a backdrop of eerie woods and mysterious old buildings, the series dishes out supernatural intrigue with high school drama.
—Janey Tracey, EW.com, 22 Sep. 2024
For the first half of the scene, director John G. Avildsen withholds any music — allowing the ambience of the announcers, the crowd, and the punches to build — until halfway through, a foreboding bell speeds us into the final, decisive round.
—Vikram Murthi, Vulture, 4 Mar. 2024
Noun
The soundtrack drones with foreboding; the McCain team look around nervously.
—James Parker, The Atlantic, 1 Oct. 2024
Yes, there’s a world where this nagging injury — this sense of foreboding — goes away.
—Dieter Kurtenbach, The Mercury News, 13 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for foreboding
Recent Examples of Synonyms for foreboding
Adjective
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The early returns were ominous, and prospects did not improve from there.Vox Staff, Vox, 6 Nov. 2024
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The brief visual featured a snippet of the track — a few ominous piano notes with some percussion.Ilana Kaplan, People.com, 28 Oct. 2024
Noun
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But Black professionals who identify as atheist or agnostic feel pressure to conceal their beliefs in order to maintain professional relationships with other African-American people.Maya Richard-Craven, Forbes, 5 Nov. 2024
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Tester feedback: Allure commerce writer Jennifer Hussein says this finishing spray is a staple in her routine for its weightless feel and intensive oil control.Jennifer Hussein, Allure, 4 Nov. 2024
Noun
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Scenes play out with all the portent of a Catholic Mass.Nicholas Quah, Vulture, 11 Oct. 2024
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For those who looked, there were signs and portents of core Democratic policies pushed offstage.Andrew Cockburn, Harper's Magazine, 5 Sep. 2024
Noun
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Mondays used to fill many of us with dread at the thought of returning to a rigid office environment.Steve Osler, Forbes, 5 Nov. 2024
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New developments in generative AI have sparked existential dread in many film professionals, who fear that their jobs could someday be rendered obsolete.Christian Zilko, IndieWire, 4 Nov. 2024
Verb
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Research into lithium’s effects on dementia, Alzheimer’s, and longevity has also been promising but inconclusive.Shayla Love, The Atlantic, 4 Oct. 2024
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Joby is partnering with Delta Airlines and Uber, a stakeholder since 2020, to offer ‘air taxi’ service in New York City, promising to fly passengers from Manhattan to JFK in seven minutes.Jennifer Leigh Parker, Forbes, 4 Oct. 2024
Adjective
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Specifically, Bill becomes increasingly aware of young girls being held and abused by the nuns of his convent, led by a sinister mother superior, Sister Mary (played with dark-eyed, cold-hearted terror by Emily Watson).Harrison Richlin, IndieWire, 5 Nov. 2024
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Elliot Page translates vitality and promise as the young teen, while a blood-freezing Catherine Keener is the sinister embodiment of resentment and cruelty.Declan Gallagher and Chris Bellamy, EW.com, 31 Oct. 2024
Noun
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But she’s overcome by fear, a premonition that catastrophe is on the way.John Bleasdale, Variety, 3 Nov. 2024
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The current political season, dense with incident and overcast with grim premonitions, feels more difficult than usual to take in at just a glance.Vinson Cunningham, The New Yorker, 1 Nov. 2024
Noun
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Being a forerunner in your circle will put you in a good position and enable you to quickly field new possibilities, offering advantages.Eugenia Last, The Mercury News, 2 Nov. 2024
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Lilly developed its forerunner more than 30 years prior, according to reporting from FiercePharma. Market pricing for prescription drugs creates the incentives that perpetuate this cycle of innovation.Sally Pipes, Forbes, 15 Oct. 2024
Thesaurus Entries Near foreboding
Cite this Entry
“Foreboding.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/foreboding. Accessed 23 Nov. 2024.
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