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

• (US) IPA^(key): /fɔɹˈbɔʊdɪŋ/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

Noun

foreboding (countable and uncountable, plural forebodings)

1. A sense of evil to come.

   Synonyms: augury, preboding

   • 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 January 27, Arthur C[harles] Clarke, The City and the Stars, London: Frederick Muller, →OCLC, 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.

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
• Finnish: paha aavistus
• 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)
• Māori: 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)
• Māori: 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