foreboding
for-BOH-ding
/fɔːrˈboʊ.dɪŋ/
A fearful apprehension or a strong gut sense that something bad is about to happen.
Carries an ominous, almost mysterious psychological weight—a dark premonition of looming tragedy.
The story behind the word. In Old English, 'bodian' meant to announce or act as a messenger (from 'boda', a herald). Adding 'fore-' created 'forebodian'—meaning to announce something before it happens. Over centuries, the word absorbed dark, supernatural undertones, becoming associated almost entirely with predicting misfortune.
Word relationships
- premonition: Premonition can be neutral or prophetic, while foreboding is always ominous and scary.
- presentiment: Presentiment is a formal term for an intuitive feeling, whereas foreboding explicitly carries fear.
- optimism: The expectation that good things will happen.
- promise: An indication of future success or delight.
Commonly confused with
- forbearance: Forbearance means patient self-control or restraint, not predicting bad news.
Word family
- forebode (verb): To act as an omen or portend evil.
Collocations
- sense of foreboding
- filled with foreboding
- foreboding silence
Idioms & expressions
- a shadow hanging over
- bad omens ahead
Example sentences
- "As dark clouds gathered over the castle towers, a heavy feeling of foreboding settled over the town." Literature / Fiction
- "Economists looked at the falling indicators with a growing sense of foreboding." Journalism / Politics
Memory hook
FORE-BODING = FORE-telling BAD news before it lands. A dark cloud announcing bad news ahead.
When not to use
Do not use for positive or neutral anticipations; foreboding is exclusively negative and dark.
Fun facts
- In Old Norse mythology, heralds who brought dire news were called bode-bearers, closely linked to this root.
Related words
Explore more words
imminent, foreshadow, foreshadowing, foresee, suspense, abyss
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