Synonyms for foreshadowing
Most common
Definitions
- n. 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.
The roses blooming before Rose herself bloomed was excellent foreshadowing.
Forms
- Plural
- foreshadowings → prefigurations, adumbrations, omens, bodes…
Example sentences
- omen The cap cloud above Mt. Fuji is said to be a good omen.
- bode The sound of a trumpet will bode the end of the world.
Popularity over time
| Word | 1850 → 2019 | Trend |
|---|---|---|
| foreshadowing | rising | |
| prefiguration | rising | |
| adumbration | falling | |
| omen | rising | |
| bode | rising | |
| prolepsis | rising |
Use in printed books, per decade from 1850 to 2019.
By length
- 4 letters
- omen2, bode1
- 9 letters
- prolepsis
- 11 letters
- adumbration
- 13 letters
- prefiguration, prefigurement
The small number after each word is its number of syllables (omen2 = 2 syllables).