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View synonyms for imminent

imminent

[ im-uh-nuhnt ]

adjective

  1. likely to occur at any moment; impending:

    Her death is imminent.

    Synonyms: near, at hand

    Antonyms: remote, distant

  2. projecting or leaning forward; overhanging.


imminent

/ ˈɪmɪnənt /

adjective

  1. liable to happen soon; impending
  2. obsolete.
    jutting out or overhanging
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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Derived Forms

  • ˈimminence, noun
  • ˈimminently, adverb
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Other Words From

  • im·mi·nent·ly adverb
  • im·mi·nent·ness noun
  • un·im·mi·nent adjective
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Word History and Origins

Origin of imminent1

First recorded in 1520–30; from Latin imminent- (stem of imminēns ), present participle of imminēre “to overhang,” equivalent to im- im- 1 + -min- from a base meaning “jut out, project, rise” ( eminent, mount 2 ) + -ent- -ent
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Word History and Origins

Origin of imminent1

C16: from Latin imminēre to project over, from im- (in) + -minēre to project; related to mons mountain
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Synonym Study

Imminent, Impending, Threatening all may carry the implication of menace, misfortune, disaster, but they do so in differing degrees. Imminent may portend evil: an imminent catastrophe, but also may mean simply “about to happen”: The merger is imminent. Impending has a weaker sense of immediacy and threat than imminent : Real tax relief legislation is impending, but it too may be used in situations portending disaster: impending social upheaval; to dread the impending investigation. Threatening almost always suggests ominous warning and menace: a threatening sky just before the tornado struck.
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Example Sentences

Shortly after 20:00 on 29 October a first message was sent out warning of the imminent risk of a dam being breached.

From BBC

Politico then reported that the resignation prevents the otherwise imminent release of "an Ethics Committee report investigating several allegations including that Gaetz engaged in sex with a minor."

From Salon

Sir David Behan, the OfS chairman, says a university going bust “isn’t imminent now”, but to reduce the risk higher education needs to be “radically reimagined”.

From BBC

A Lancaster 18-year-old pleaded guilty Wednesday to phoning in hundreds of false threats of imminent bombings, mass shootings and violence targeting locations across the U.S., including places of worship and schools.

A UN-backed report recently warned that there was an imminent likelihood of famine in northern Gaza, where hardly any aid has entered in the past month.

From BBC

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