foreshadowing

[fawr-shad-oh-ing]

noun

1. an indication of something that will happen in the future, often used as a literary device to hint at or allude to future plot developments.

   The gothic novel uses foreshadowing to build suspense.

Word History and Origins

Origin of foreshadowing¹

First recorded in 1845–50; foreshadow ( def. ) + -ing ¹ ( def. )

Example Sentences

An ominous undertone, foreshadowing the unchecked slaughter to come, could be heard on October 8, 2023, the day after the Hamas attack on Israel resulted in close to 1,200 deaths.

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And plus, I like how you did that, kind of foreshadowing this episode with the two shows that you picked.

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To optimize space, he proposed a bold new concept — circular office buildings — unwittingly foreshadowing what would later become his most iconic project.

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Then, in a foreshadowing of the police statement he would make the following day, the boy went back to the account he had been asked to write about the previous week's fight.

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For a fantasy about the midlife and times of a writer, “And Just Like That” is stubbornly ignorant of metaphors and foreshadowing.

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Related Words

• clue 
• flag 
• gesture 
• harbinger 
• hint 
• light 
• manifestation 
• note 
• prediction 
• proof 
• signal 
• suggestion 
• symbol 
• symptom 
• trace 
• warning 
• wave