Forbidding-Foreboding | Commonly Confused Words
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Master confusing words with ease

Forbidding vs. Foreboding

Forbidding

/fəˈbɪdɪŋ/
Having an unfriendly or threatening appearance

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/
A strong feeling that something bad is going to happen

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:

etymology
  • Forbidding is related to an obstacle or barrier, something that seems ominous or threatening.
  • Foreboding is related to a sense of prediction, especially regarding something bad happening.
  • Remember forbidding as in forbid, indicating something is unwelcoming or hostile.
  • Foreboding is like predicting the future, imagining a dark outcome.
  • A forbidding mountain makes a climb seem impossible, while a foreboding feeling is the gut sense that it's dangerous to continue.
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