foreboding
Americannoun
-
a prediction; portent.
-
a strong inner feeling or notion of a future misfortune, evil, etc.; presentiment.
adjective
noun
-
a feeling of impending evil, disaster, etc
-
an omen or portent
adjective
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of foreboding
1350–1400; Middle English forbodyng (noun); see forebode, -ing 1, -ing 2
Explanation
When you get a foreboding, you get a sense that something bad is going to happen. A foreboding is a foretelling, a sign or a glimpse, that "something wicked this way comes" — or might come. If something doesn’t "bode" well, it means that the future doesn't look good. A foreboding is a glimpse or a feeling that bad things are going to happen. It's a premonition, or look into the future. Most times foreboding implies that something evil is coming, but sometimes it's used for anything bad up ahead, as in "she had a foreboding that the trip would get canceled due to the hurricane." Even if the future looks bright, a foreboding casts dread over what's ahead.
Vocabulary lists containing foreboding
The Vocabulary.com Top 1000
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
The SAT: Words to Capture Tone, List 2
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Power Prefix: fore-
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Brook's first act of the day was a foreboding one for England.
From BBC ● Jun. 20, 2026
But a 0.1-percent dip in food services sales could reflect that people are opting to drive less -- a foreboding sign for broader spending in the services sector.
From Barron's ● Jun. 17, 2026
Now, Rhys embraces two wildly different roles he shot back-to-back, showcasing versatility against foreboding backdrops of murder and the supernatural.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 8, 2026
In contrast, DeepSeek, a Chinese AI company, concluded its answers to a user’s questions about weapons selection with a foreboding farewell.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 3, 2026
“If I might speak, Headmaster,” said Snape from the shadows, and Harry’s sense of foreboding increased; he was sure nothing Snape had to say was going to do him any good.
From "Harry Potter And The Chamber Of Secrets" by J. K. Rowling
Khalid Aljabri recalled that his father had forebodings of the trouble ahead.
From Washington Post ● May 28, 2020
The French government is relieved that its worst forebodings about the protests did not come to pass.
From BBC ● Dec. 8, 2018
The sounds could be heard as flashbacks or as forebodings.
From The New Yorker ● Jun. 25, 2018
This included a woman, her young child with a doll, the dead cat and forebodings about nuclear disaster and wave/particle duality.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 9, 2014
Still full of forebodings of a hard winter, he foraged about for what he was sure was the last edible stuff on the island: various seeds, dry berries, mushrooms.
From "Abel's Island" by William Steig
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
