Foreshadowing Vocabulary

verb to foreshadow or prefigure; to outline or sketch briefly

• The speaker adumbrated the main points of the presentation in the introduction.
• Can you adumbrate what you mean by that?
• I can't really adumbrate on that topic, it's too complicated.
• The dark clouds adumbrate an impending storm.

verb to be an omen of a particular outcome or situation

• The dark clouds bode a storm approaching.
• His constant lateness doesn't bode well for his job.
• The empty parking lot bodes a party happening at the warehouse.
• The sudden silence in the room bodes trouble ahead.

noun a brief or partial view or sight of something that is to come or happen in the future

• The foreglimpse of the new product line left investors eager for the official launch.
• I caught a foreglimpse of the menu for the party and it looks amazing!
• I got a foreglimpse of the gossip going around the office.
• The artist's rough sketch gave a foreglimpse of the masterpiece to come.

verb to serve as a warning or indication of a future event

• The dark clouds gathering in the sky portend a storm approaching.
• I have a bad feeling about this, it seems to portend something negative.
• The sudden drop in sales numbers portend trouble for the company.
• The sudden appearance of a black cat crossing your path is said to portend bad luck.

verb to show or represent beforehand; to foreshadow or predict

• The ancient texts prefigure the events that would unfold in the future.
• Her dreams seemed to prefigure the outcome of the game.
• The movie's opening scene totally prefigured the twist at the end.
• The early signs of conflict between the two countries prefigure a possible war.