foreshadowing

English

Etymology

From foreshadow (verb) +‎ -ing (suffix forming nouns denoting the act of doing something, an action, or the embodiment of an action; or forming present participles of verbs).

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /(ˌ)fɔːˈʃædəʊɪŋ/, /fə-/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /fɔɹˈʃædoʊɪŋ/, /fəɹ-/
• Rhymes: -ædəʊɪŋ
• Hyphenation: fore‧sha‧dow‧ing

Noun

foreshadowing (usually uncountable, plural foreshadowings)

1. Synonym of foreshadow (“a suggestion of something in advance”); specifically (usually uncountable, literature, narratology), a literary device whereby an author drops hints or symbolic representations of plot developments to come later in the story.

   (literature, narratology): Coordinate terms: backshadowing, sideshadowing

   The roses blooming before Rose herself bloomed was excellent foreshadowing.

   • 2004, David Mitchell, Cloud Atlas, London: Hodder and Stoughton, →ISBN:

     As an experienced editor I disapprove of backflashes, foreshadowings and tricksy devices […]

Translations

synonym of foreshadow — see harbinger,‎ portent

literary device whereby an author drops hints or symbolic representations of plot developments to come later in the story

• Catalan: presagi (ca) m
• Esperanto: antaŭfiguro
• Finnish: enteily (fi), ennakointi (fi)
• French: augure (fr) m, présage (fr) m
• Georgian: მინიშნება (minišneba)
• German: Vorahnung (de) f
• Greek: προοικονομία (el) f (prooikonomía)
• Indonesian: padahan (id)
• Irish: tuar (ga) m
• Japanese: 伏線 (ja) (ふくせん, fukusen)
• Korean: 복선(伏線) (ko) (bokseon)
• Macedonian: пре́дзнак m (prédznak)
• Malay: imbas muka
• Portuguese: augúrio (pt) m, presságio (pt) m
• Spanish: agüero (es) m, augurio (es) m, prefiguración f, premostración f, presagio (es) m
• Turkish: önceden ima etme
• Welsh: rhagfynegi (cy) m, rhagarwyddo m

Verb

foreshadowing

1. present participle and gerund of foreshadow

Further reading

• foreshadowing on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
• “foreshadowing, n.”, in OED Online ⁠, Oxford: Oxford University Press, September 2025.
• “foreshadowing, n.”, in Dictionary.com Unabridged, Dictionary.com, LLC, 1995–present.