Synonyms for presentiment
Most common
All synonyms
Noun
1. Foreboding
foreboding, premonition, presage, prescience, anticipation, forecast
Other
feeling, forefeeling dated
Definitions
- n. 1
A premonition; a feeling that something, often of undesirable nature, is going to happen.
Forms
- Plural
- presentiments → forebodings, premonitions, presages, presciences…
Choose the right word
Expectation may be either of good or evil; presentiment almost always, apprehension and foreboding always, of evil; anticipation and antepast, commonly of good.
J. C. Fernald, English Synonyms and Antonyms (1914)
Example sentences
- foreboding Despite her foreboding, Mary entered the cellar.
- premonition I had a premonition that something wasn't right.
- presage A crow's cry at midnight was said to presage death in the village.
- feeling I am feeling quite pleased about what you've said.
Popularity over time
| Word | 1850 → 2019 | Trend |
|---|---|---|
| presentiment | rising | |
| foreboding | rising | |
| premonition | rising | |
| presage | steady | |
| prescience | steady | |
| feeling | rising |
Use in printed books, per decade from 1850 to 2019.
By length
- 7 letters
- feeling2, presage2
- 8 letters
- forecast2
- 10 letters
- foreboding3, prescience3
- 11 letters
- premonition4, forefeeling
- 12 letters
- anticipation5
The small number after each word is its number of syllables (feeling2 = 2 syllables).
In other languages
- Français
- pressentiment
- Italiano
- presentimento
- Español
- presentimiento