foreshadowing

9 synonyms for foreshadowing, grouped by meaning and by how common each one is.

Noun — A technique in storytelling in which a writer plants hints early on about something that will happen later, so the eventual event feels prepared for rather than random.

Synonyms

Less common

Still standard English, but they carry more weight.

herald

Rare, literary or technical

Precise, but they will stand out — check the sense before using one.

prefiguring hinting portent adumbration prefiguration presage portend augur

Synonyms by Meaning

1. noun

A technique in storytelling in which a writer plants hints early on about something that will happen later, so the eventual event feels prepared for rather than random.

“The broken clock in chapter one is obvious foreshadowing.”

prefiguring hinting portent adumbration prefiguration

2. verb

Present participle of foreshadow: to be an early sign of something that is going to happen.

“The falling orders in spring were foreshadowing a difficult year.”

presage portend herald augur

How to use foreshadowing

The word patterns that sound natural to a native speaker.

subtle foreshadowing heavy-handed foreshadowing an example of foreshadowing foreshadowing the ending

Neutral; standard vocabulary in English literature classes and reviews.

Etymology

From fore- 'before, in advance' plus shadow, on the image of a shadow being cast ahead of the thing that casts it.

Full origin of foreshadowing →

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between foreshadowing and a flashforward?

Foreshadowing plants an indirect clue whose meaning only becomes clear later. A flashforward actually shows a future scene. One withholds, the other reveals.

What is the difference between foreshadowing and dramatic irony?

Foreshadowing hints at something neither the characters nor the reader knows yet. Dramatic irony exists when the reader already knows something a character does not, and watches them act in ignorance of it.

What are some common examples of foreshadowing?

Typical devices include an offhand remark that turns out to be literally true, a weather change before a disaster, an object introduced early and used decisively later, and a dream or prophecy. Titles and chapter epigraphs often do the same work.

People also searched

herald portent adumbration augur hinting prefiguring presage portend

Nearby words

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