Meaning & use

imminent

adjective·Academic

About to happen very soon, often used to describe something threatening or significant.

See it in a sentence

Dark clouds signaled an imminent storm, so we packed up the picnic.

The company announced layoffs, warning employees of imminent budget cuts.

A note on using this word

Imminent usually implies urgency or a sense of danger, not just any future event.

Words with a similar meaning

impendingforthcoming

Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.

Words with an opposite meaning

distantremote

Make it your own

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