foreboding

[fawr-boh-ding, fohr-]

noun

1. a prediction; portent.

2. a strong inner feeling or notion of a future misfortune, evil, etc.; presentiment.

adjective

1. that forebodes, especially evil.

foreboding

/ fɔːˈbəʊdɪŋ /

noun

1. a feeling of impending evil, disaster, etc

2. an omen or portent

adjective

1. presaging something

Other Word Forms

• forebodingly adverb
• forebodingness noun
• unforeboding adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of foreboding¹

1350–1400; Middle English forbodyng (noun); forebode, -ing ¹, -ing ²

Example Sentences

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration announced Thursday that La Niña conditions had arrived, a possibly foreboding sign for the Southland.

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“After The Hunt” begins with grim foreboding: the caption “It happened at Yale.”

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Below the cliff where Arisu and this gentleman converse lies a vast body of churning water with a foreboding whirlpool at its heart.

Read more on Salon

There was a sense of foreboding about his comments after Wednesday evening's debacle.

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For now, Bengali-Muslims are living with a deep sense of foreboding.

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Related Words

• apprehension 
• dread 
• premonition