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

From the celebration of the deceased known as Día de los Muertos, to the foreboding thrills and life lessons underpinning Latin America’s fiendish folklore, spooky things are as revered as they are feared.

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It never got much better for the Bruins on a chilly, cloudy Saturday afternoon that was darker than the foreboding weather.

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Mr Bailey said he did not want "to sound too foreboding at this point", but that "there is a lot we don't know about First Brands and Tricolour".

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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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Related Words

• apprehension 
• dread 
• premonition