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
- forebodingly adverb
- forebodingness noun
- unforeboding adjective
Etymology
Origin of foreboding
1350–1400; Middle English forbodyng (noun); forebode, -ing 1, -ing 2
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.
As if being thrown back into the pool of adverse insurance-company decisions weren’t bad enough, three new developments should cause foreboding among Medicare Advantage subscribers.
From MarketWatch • Mar. 10, 2026
That, of course, is not how any of this works, and it was a foreboding sign of Crockett’s commitment to a free press, not to mention her understanding of the First Amendment.
From Slate • Mar. 3, 2026
And when the future was seen as foreboding, fairs did their best to pave a yellow-brick road.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 14, 2026
Then the timeline for star freshman Alijah Arenas’ return was pushed back indefinitely, another foreboding sign in a season filled with them.
From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 14, 2026
It was a try toward relieving the foreboding in his manner; it only worked to deepen it.
From "A Separate Peace" by John Knowles
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.
