imminent

[ im-uh-nuhnt ]
/ ˈɪm ə nənt /

adjective

likely to occur at any moment; impending: Her death is imminent.
projecting or leaning forward; overhanging.

Origin of imminent

1520–30; < 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” (cf. eminent, mount2) + -ent- -ent

SYNONYMS FOR imminent

1 near, at hand. 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.

OTHER WORDS FROM imminent

im·mi·nent·ly, adverb im·mi·nent·ness, noun un·im·mi·nent, adjective

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH imminent

eminent immanent imminent

Example sentences from the Web for imminent

British Dictionary definitions for imminent

imminent
/ (ˈɪmɪnənt) /

adjective

liable to happen soon; impending
obsolete jutting out or overhanging

Derived forms of imminent

imminence or imminentness, noun imminently, adverb

Word Origin for imminent

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