Master confusing words with ease
Forbidding vs. Foreboding
Forbidding
/fəˈbɪdɪŋ/Examples:
The dark clouds were forbidding an upcoming storm.Her expression was forbidding, deterring any intruders.The castle's forbidding exterior hid a warm welcome inside.
Synonyms:
Antonyms:
Foreboding
/fɔːˈbəʊdɪŋ/Examples:
The eerie silence gave him a sense of foreboding.Her dream left her with a lingering foreboding.Dark clouds loomed with a sense of foreboding.
Synonyms:
Antonyms:
Ways to tell them apart:
- Forbidding and foreboding both have a for- prefix, but they are used in different contexts.
- Forbidding often relates to a sense of being prevented or restricted, like a no entry sign.
- Foreboding typically describes a feeling, often instinctive, that something bad is going to happen.
- Forbidding can describe a stern, harsh appearance, like a forbidding mountain range.
- Foreboding refers to an omen or prediction of danger, not a restriction.
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