foretokening means indication in advance. It carries an Arena rating of 1326, earned across 3 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, foretokening ranks #2,601 of 17,126 for Most Satisfying to Say, #3,039 of 17,134 for Most Malleable Words, #3,869 of 17,124 for Most Sublime Words, #4,749 of 17,131 for Scariest Words.
Why “foretokening” is a great word
An advance sign or indication of something yet to come. From the English 'foretoken' (meaning a sign or portent) + the suffix '-ing' (forming a noun of action or result). Unlike a “forewarning,” which is an explicit, often urgent caution of danger, or a “portent,” which looms with momentous, prodigious weight, a foretokening is a quieter, more neutral herald. It is the specific chill in the air just before the season turns, the subtle scent of ozone that arrives before a summer storm, and the uncanny silence of birds at dusk—a whisper from the future, not a shout, leaving you to wonder if you imagined the whole thing.
Etymology
From foretoken + -ing.
noun
- Indication in advance.
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
Words closest in meaning
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