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Foreboding vs Ominous - What's the difference?

foreboding | ominous |

As adjectives the difference between foreboding and ominous

is that foreboding is of ominous significance; serving as an ill omen; foretelling of harm or difficulty while ominous is of or pertaining to an omen or to omens; being or exhibiting an omen; significant.

As a noun foreboding

is a sense of evil to come.

As a verb foreboding

is present participle of lang=en.

foreboding

English

Alternative forms

* forboding (much less commonly used)

Noun

(en noun)
  • A sense of evil to come.
  • * 1956 — , The City and the Stars , p 41
    • A sense of foreboding , the like of which he had never known before, hung heavily on him.
  • An evil omen.

    • Synonyms

    * augury

    Adjective

    (en adjective)
  • Of ominous significance; serving as an ill omen; foretelling of harm or difficulty.

    • Verb

    (head)

    • ominous

    English

    Adjective

    (en adjective)
  • Of or pertaining to an omen or to omens; being or exhibiting an omen; significant.
  • Specifically, giving indication of a coming ill; being an evil omen; threatening; portentous; inauspicious.
  • * California poll support for Jerry Brown's tax increases has ominous implications for U.S. taxpayers too Los Angeles Times Headline April 25, 2011
  • * {{quote-news
    • , year=2012 , date=April 29 , author=Nathan Rabin , title=TV: Review: THE SIMPSONS (CLASSIC): “Treehouse of Horror III” (season 4, episode 5; originally aired 10/29/1992) citation , page= , passage=The idea of a merchant selling both totems of pure evil and frozen yogurt (he calls it frogurt!) is amusing in itself, as is the idea that frogurt could be cursed, but it’s really the Shopkeeper’s quicksilver shift from ominous doomsaying to chipper salesmanship that sells the sequence.}}

    Usage notes

    * Formerly used both in a favorable and unfavorable sense; now chiefly in the latter; foreboding or foreshadowing evil; inauspicious; as, an ominous dread. * Nouns to which "ominous" is often applied: sign, silence, warning, cloud, note, sound, shadow, threat, music, tone, implication, message, presence, development, voice, portent, turn, sky, figure, dream, event, trend, change, day, beginning, growl, cry, signal, pattern.

    Synonyms

    * portentous * threatening

    Derived terms

    * ominously * ominousness

    Related terms

    * omen

    External links

    * *