EN

Synonyms for foretell

  • verb

Most common

predict presage foreshadow portend anticipate call herald forspeak

Synonyms by meaning

Verb

1. Predict

predict, presage, foreshadow, portend, prophesy, augur, foresee, omen, forecast, divine, prognosticate, project, prefigure, betoken, vaticinate formal, auspicate, bode dated, foreshow dated

2. Anticipate

anticipate, call, promise, forebode

3. Herald

herald, harbinger, announce, annunciate formal

4. Foresay — to predict; to tell (the future) before it occurs; to prophesy

forspeak, foresay dated

Other

forewarn

Antonyms

recall, recount, recollect

All antonyms of foretell →

Definitions

  1. v. 1

    To predict; to tell (the future) before it occurs; to prophesy.

  2. v. 2

    To tell (a person) of the future.

Related words

Word family
foreteller foretale forecast foresee forewarn

Example sentences

  • predict Tom actually believed he could predict the future.
  • presage A crow's cry at midnight was said to presage death in the village.
  • forewarn I need to forewarn you: This story is going to be graphic.

Popularity over time

Word1850 → 2019Trend
foretellsteady
predictsteady
foreshadowsteady
presagesteady
portendsteady
forewarnsteady

Use in printed books, per decade from 1850 to 2019.

By length

4 letters
call1, omen2, bode1
5 letters
augur2
6 letters
divine2, herald2
7 letters
project2, promise2, predict2, foresee2, presage2, portend2, betoken, foresay
8 letters
announce2, forecast2, prophesy, forewarn2, forebode2, foreshow, forspeak
9 letters
harbinger3, prefigure, auspicate
10 letters
anticipate4, foreshadow3, annunciate, vaticinate
13 letters
prognosticate4

The small number after each word is its number of syllables (omen2 = 2 syllables).

In other languages

Français
vaticiner
Italiano
vaticinare
Català
vaticinar