foreboding

[fawr-boh-ding, fohr-]

See more synonyms for foreboding on Thesaurus.com

noun

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

adjective

that forebodes, especially evil.

Origin of foreboding

1350–1400; Middle English forbodyng (noun); see forebode, -ing¹, -ing²

Related formsfore·bod·ing·ly, adverbfore·bod·ing·ness, nounun·fore·bod·ing, adjective

Can be confusedforbidding foreboding

forebode

[fawr-bohd, fohr-]

verb (used with object), fore·bod·ed, fore·bod·ing.

to foretell or predict; be an omen of; indicate beforehand; portend: clouds that forebode a storm.
to have a strong inner feeling or notion of (a future misfortune, evil, catastrophe, etc.); have a presentiment of.

verb (used without object), fore·bod·ed, fore·bod·ing.

to prophesy.
to have a presentiment.

Origin of forebode

First recorded in 1595–1605; fore- + bode¹

Related formsfore·bod·er, nounun·fore·bod·ed, adjective

Can be confusedforbade forbid forbidden forebode

Synonyms

See more synonyms for forebode on Thesaurus.com

1. foreshadow, presage, forecast, augur.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for foreboding

Contemporary Examples

The sense of foreboding mounted by the day as IS fighters surrounded the Sinjar district on three sides.
How the U.S.-favored Kurds Abandoned the Yazidis when ISIS Attacked
Christine van den Toorn
August 17, 2014
There was one foreboding clue as to what was to come for the house members.
No One Told ‘Big Brother Israel’ About the War
Nina Strochlic
August 7, 2014
Plus the moors where she lives—all cascading waterfalls and glowing fairies and foreboding thorns—are rather lovely to look at it.
The Ghastly ‘Maleficent’ and Why It’s Time For Hollywood to Kill the Dark Reboot
Andrew Romano
May 31, 2014
And their deaths have heightened the tensions and the sense of foreboding that something bigger and more brutal may happen soon.
Russia’s Partisans Imposing Their Rule in East Ukraine
Jamie Dettmer
April 22, 2014
On August 15, 1982, Mary appeared with a foreboding message.
Did the Virgin Mary Warn Rwanda’s Holiest Town of the Genocide?
Nina Strochlic
April 20, 2014

Historical Examples

But there is one subject, on which my mind is filled with foreboding.
Philothea
Lydia Maria Child
As the fair Rosa, with foreboding doubt, had foretold, so it happened.
The Black Tulip
Alexandre Dumas (Pere)
She was weary—weary from exertion and disappointment and foreboding.
Pee-wee Harris
Percy Keese Fitzhugh
The foreboding was not as definite, but it was always with him; he could not shake it off.
Shavings
Joseph C. Lincoln
Perhaps already some foreboding of the nature of its contents was in his mind.
The Strolling Saint
Raphael Sabatini

British Dictionary definitions for foreboding

foreboding

noun

a feeling of impending evil, disaster, etc
an omen or portent

adjective

presaging something

Derived Formsforebodingly, adverbforebodingness, noun

forebode

verb

to warn of or indicate (an event, result, etc) in advance
to have an intuition or premonition of (an event)

Derived Formsforeboder, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for foreboding

n.

late 14c., "a predilection, portent, omen," from fore- + verbal noun from bode. Meaning "sense of something bad about to happen" is from c.1600. Old English forebodung meant "prophecy."

forebode

v.

"feel a secret premonition," c.1600, from fore- + bode. Related: Foreboded; foreboding. Old English forebodian meant "to announce, declare."

foreboding

Origin of .css-1fxfie5{font-size:22px;}@media (max-width:768px){.css-1fxfie5{font-size:18px;margin:0 10px 10px 0;word-break:break-all;word-wrap:break-word;-webkit-hyphens:auto;-moz-hyphens:auto;-ms-hyphens:auto;hyphens:auto;line-height:22px;}}foreboding

forebode

Origin of forebode

Synonyms

Examples from the Web for foreboding

Contemporary Examples

The sense of foreboding mounted by the day as IS fighters surrounded the Sinjar district on three sides.

There was one foreboding clue as to what was to come for the house members.

Plus the moors where she lives—all cascading waterfalls and glowing fairies and foreboding thorns—are rather lovely to look at it.

And their deaths have heightened the tensions and the sense of foreboding that something bigger and more brutal may happen soon.

On August 15, 1982, Mary appeared with a foreboding message.

Historical Examples

But there is one subject, on which my mind is filled with foreboding.

As the fair Rosa, with foreboding doubt, had foretold, so it happened.

She was weary—weary from exertion and disappointment and foreboding.

The foreboding was not as definite, but it was always with him; he could not shake it off.

Perhaps already some foreboding of the nature of its contents was in his mind.

foreboding

forebode

Word Origin and History for foreboding

n.

forebode

v.

Origin of foreboding