foreshadowing
noun
fore·shad·ow·ing
fȯr-ˈsha-də-wiŋ 
plural foreshadowings
: an indication of what is to come
If the history of the world were a novel, the events so strikingly chronicled in the photographs in this book … would seem a foreshadowing of the recent events …—
Ralph Novak
Ralph NovakOn this merry Christmas evening, however, no fears or dim foreshadowings of any coming event clouded our hearts or faces.—Lucy Maud Montgomery
Lucy Maud Montgomery
also
: the use of such indications (as in a work of literature)
And, further, Rose is a genuine cliff-hanger, or page-turner, full of foreshadowing … and all the tried and tricky methods of creating suspense. —John Simon
John Simon Examples of foreshadowing in a Sentence
the hero's strange encounter with a grave digger is often seen as a foreshadowing of his own death
Recent Examples on the Web
That weakness could be a foreshadowing of the inflation to come.
—Jj Kinahan, Forbes.com, 2 July 2025
Jesus also washed the feet of his disciples and shared a foreshadowing of Judas’ betrayal at the Garden of Gethsemane.
—Chris Sims, Louisville Courier Journal, 13 Apr. 2025
The foreshadowing of the inevitable downfall started at the end of the district budget meeting when Ava’s nemesis, Crystal, developed suspicions about why Abbott was in a position to so graciously decline the money.
—Ile-Ife Okantah, Vulture, 19 Mar. 2025
John wonders if he and his foreshadowing are chopped liver.
—Stacia Brown, Vulture, 26 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for foreshadowing
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Jj Kinahan, Forbes.com, 2 July 2025
Jesus also washed the feet of his disciples and shared a foreshadowing of Judas’ betrayal at the Garden of Gethsemane.
—Chris Sims, Louisville Courier Journal, 13 Apr. 2025
The foreshadowing of the inevitable downfall started at the end of the district budget meeting when Ava’s nemesis, Crystal, developed suspicions about why Abbott was in a position to so graciously decline the money.
—Ile-Ife Okantah, Vulture, 19 Mar. 2025
John wonders if he and his foreshadowing are chopped liver.
—Stacia Brown, Vulture, 26 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for foreshadowing
Cite this Entry
“Foreshadowing.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/foreshadowing. Accessed 21 Jul. 2025.
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