Definition

Noun A feeling or sign that something bad, evil, or unfortunate is going to happen in the future; a foreboding or premonition.

Usage

The word "boding" is used to describe an intuitive feeling, often one of dread or anxiety, about a future event. It is typically used in formal or literary contexts. It is most commonly found in the phrase "ill boding" or "evil boding," but can also stand alone.

Examples

• The dark clouds gathering on the horizon were an ill boding for our picnic.
• She felt a strange boding as she entered the old, silent house.
• His sudden silence was a boding of the bad news he was about to deliver.

Advanced Usage

• Ill boding / Evil boding: These are the most frequent collocations, explicitly indicating a negative omen or feeling.
  • The howling of the wolves was taken as an ill boding by the villagers.
• Boding can be used attributively (like an adjective) before a noun, though this is less common.
  • He spoke with a boding tone that made everyone nervous.

Variants and Related Words

• Foreboding (n.): A strong inner feeling or notion of a future misfortune. This is a more common synonym.
• Premonition (n.): A strong feeling that something is about to happen, especially something unpleasant.
• Presentiment (n.): An intuitive feeling about the future, often of something bad.
• Omen (n.): An event regarded as a portent of good or evil.

Synonyms

Foreboding, premonition, presentiment, portent, augury, omen (when referring to a feeling).

Antonyms

Good omen, auspice, positive premonition.

Idioms and Phrases

• A boding of doom: A strong feeling or sign that disaster is imminent.
  • The eerie silence in the city was a boding of doom.
• To have a boding about something: To have a premonition concerning a specific event.
  • I have a boding about this business deal; I think it will fail.

Noun

1. a feeling of evil to come
   • a steadily escalating sense of foreboding
   • the lawyer had a presentiment that the judge would dismiss the case