foreboding

English

Alternative forms

• forboding (much less commonly used)

Etymology

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

Noun

foreboding (plural forebodings)

1. A sense of evil to come.
   • 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.

2. An evil omen.

Synonyms

• augury

Translations

sense of evil to come

• Bulgarian: проко́ба (bg) (prokóba)
• Czech: zlá předtucha f
• Dutch: slecht voorgevoel n
• French: mauvais pressentiment 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
• Maori: parangēki
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• 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
• Maori: kōtua, aroākapa, aituā
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• 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.

Verb

foreboding

1. present participle of forebode