foreboding

English

Alternative forms

• forboding (much less commonly used)

Etymology

From Middle English forbodyng, vorboding, equivalent to fore- +‎ bode +‎ -ing. Compare German Vorbote (“harbinger, omen”).

Pronunciation

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Noun

foreboding (plural forebodings)

1. A sense of evil to come.

   Synonym: augury

   • 1876 November, Henry James, Jr., chapter XIII, in The American, Boston, Mass.: James R[ipley] Osgood and Company, […], published 5 May 1877, →OCLC, page 229:

     To me there is something sad in his life, and sometimes I have a sort of foreboding about him. I don't know why, but I fancy he will have some great trouble—perhaps an unhappy end.

   • 1956, Arthur C. Clarke, The City and the Stars, page 41:

     A sense of foreboding, the like of which he had never known before, hung heavily on him.

   • 1976 December 25, John Atteridg, “Going Home for the Holidays”, in Gay Community News, volume 4, number 26, page 18:

     I feel a slight foreboding about going home this year.

2. An evil omen

   The news possessed me with foreboding.

Translations

sense of evil to come

Bulgarian: проко́ба (bg) (prokóba) Catalan: pressentiment (ca) m, presagi (ca) m Czech: zlá předtucha f Dutch: slecht voorgevoel n French: mauvais pressentiment m, mauvais présage m Georgian: წინათგრძნობა (c̣inatgrʒnoba), ცუდი წინათგრძნობა (cudi c̣inatgrʒnoba), ცუდის მომასწავებელი (cudis momasc̣avebeli), ცუდის მომასწავებელი ნიშანი (cudis momasc̣avebeli nišani) German: Ahnung (de) f, Vorahnung (de) f Italian: brutto presentimento m Latin: praesāgium n Macedonian: про́коба f (prókoba), ја́нѕа f (jándza), пре́тчувство n (prétčuvstvo) Maori: parangēki Occitan: marrida pressentida f, marrit pressentiment m, fumada (oc) f Portuguese: mau pressentimento m Romanian: presimțire rea f, presentiment rău n Russian: предчу́вствие (ru) n (predčúvstvije), дурно́е предчу́вствие n (durnóje predčúvstvije) Serbo-Croatian: zla slutnja Spanish: mal presentimiento Turkish: malum olma, önsezi (tr), sezi (tr)

evil omen

Bulgarian: поличба (bg) f (poličba) Finnish: paha enne German: bange Ahnung f Italian: malaugurio (it) m Macedonian: ко́ба f (kóba) Maori: kōtua, aroākapa, aituā Portuguese: mau agouro m Romanian: piază (ro) f Russian: предзнаменова́ние (ru) n (predznamenovánije), зна́мение (ru) n (známenije), предве́стник беды́ m (predvéstnik bedý), плоха́я приме́та f (ploxája priméta) Serbo-Croatian: predznak zla, predskazanje (sh) n Turkish: içine doğma, kötü his

Adjective

foreboding (comparative more foreboding, superlative most foreboding)

1. Of ominous significance; serving as an ill omen; foretelling of harm or difficulty.

   Synonyms: inauspicious, portentous; see also Thesaurus:ominous

   • 2018, “Blood on the Street”, performed by Soulfly:

     Blood on the street / Foreboding god complex / She never knew she was next

Derived terms

• forebodingly
• forebodingness
• unforeboding

Verb

foreboding

1. present participle and gerund of forebode