foreshadowed
Gave early warning
Foreshadowed describes something that was hinted at or suggested before it happened.
In storytelling, events are foreshadowed when earlier details point toward them: The opening scene foreshadowed the tragic ending.
Outside fiction, foreshadowed often appears in hindsight: The economic collapse was foreshadowed by months of warning signs.
Sign of future calamity
- harbingerOne who foreshadows
- forebodingFearful anticipation of harm
- forewarningNotice of future trouble
- auguryOmen interpretation practice
premonition · dire · ominous · sinister · menacing · dark · grim · doom
Solving aid
- allusionIndirect reference to something
- intimationIndirect indication of something
- suggestionIdea proposed for consideration
- inklingSlight, uncertain awareness
whisper · trace · implication · subtle · veiled · oblique · indirect · understated
Storyline or land parcel
- storytellingRecounting events aloud
- dramatic ironyAudience-character knowledge gap
- Chekhov's gunNarrative necessity principle
- setupHow something is arranged
payoff · flashforward · prologue · motif · symbolism · literary device · suspense · tension
Predicted future events
- predictedDeclared in advance
- prophesiedPredicted through divine insight
- oracleAuthoritative wisdom source
- seerOne who envisions futures
divination · destiny · fate · inevitable · preordained · predestined · clairvoyance · vision
portent
Sign of future calamity
- harbingerOne who foreshadows
- forebodingFearful anticipation of harm
- forewarningNotice of future trouble
augury · premonition · dire · ominous · sinister · menacing · dark · grim · doom · apocalyptic
clue
Solving aid
- allusionIndirect reference to something
- intimationIndirect indication of something
- suggestionIdea proposed for consideration
inkling · whisper · trace · implication · subtle · veiled · oblique · indirect · understated · planted
plot
Storyline or land parcel
- storytellingRecounting events aloud
- dramatic ironyAudience-character knowledge gap
- Chekhov's gunNarrative necessity principle
setup · payoff · flashforward · prologue · motif · symbolism · literary device · suspense · tension · thriller
foretold
Predicted future events
- predictedDeclared in advance
- prophesiedPredicted through divine insight
- oracleAuthoritative wisdom source
seer · divination · destiny · fate · inevitable · preordained · predestined · clairvoyance · vision · soothsayer
foreshadowedunanticipated
Not predicted beforehand
unexpected · sprung · surprising · blindsided · unforeseen
foreshadow, foreshadowing, foreshadows, foreshadower, foreshadowings