Foreshadowing Terms

noun a sign or indication

verb to be a sign or indication of something

• The dark clouds betoken an incoming storm.
• His sudden silence betokens trouble ahead.
• Her raised eyebrow betokens her disbelief.
• The old ruins betoken a rich history waiting to be uncovered.

noun a prediction or warning of future events

verb to predict or foretell something, especially something bad

• The dark clouds forebode an incoming storm.
• I have a bad feeling that forebodes trouble ahead.
• The eerie silence in the room forebodes something sketchy going on.
• The sudden drop in sales forebodes tough times for the company.

verb to have shown or predicted beforehand

• The outcome of the experiment was foreshown by the initial data analysis.
• I knew it was going to rain because the dark clouds foreshown a storm.
• The fortune teller foreshown that I would meet someone special soon.
• The cracks in the foundation foreshown the impending collapse of the building.

noun a forerunner of something

• The sudden drop in stock prices is often seen as a harbinger of an economic downturn.
• The dark clouds gathering in the sky are a harbinger of rain.
• Seeing a black cat is considered a harbinger of bad luck in some cultures.
• The first snowfall of the season is a harbinger of the winter to come.