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Glite Dictionary
imminence

imminence

2 7.0
A time when something is about to happen
  • noun
  • /ˈɪmɪnəns/
  • Formal
translation icon : inminencia
  • But the imminence of her betrothal made one thing abundantly clear.
  • the imminence of death

Presently we don't have that imminence, but we can predict how the next crash will form.

Examples

  • The piece is inspired in part by the Arcus clouds that herald the imminence of a thunderstorm.

    Blog text (15)

  • The teacher warned us about the imminence of the final exam next week.

  • As he walked toward the glass doors, he had a sense of imminence.

    Fiction book (1998)

  • How does the imminence of disaster affect the sacrifice?

    Academic text (1997)

  • One night, Johan had an anxiety attack, probably connected to the imminence of death.

    Academic text (2009)

  • The big issue of our household at the time was the imminence of our son Benjamin's first official haircut.

    Academic text (2009)

  • The imminence of death is the psychologically unpleasant reminder of the irreversibility of time.

    Academic text (1998)

  • Waiting for the big breakthrough, however, like the goofiness in assuming the imminence of advanced biofuels, is sheer idiocy.

    Blog text (28)

  • With the ominous clouds gathering, we felt the imminence of a storm approaching.

  • She could sense the imminence of change in her life as new opportunities began to arise.

Synonyms

impendence
vsimminence
9.6

The state of something happening very soon

is the more common modern form in normal usage
imminency
vsimminence
  • Formal
7.6

A time when something is likely to happen very soon

is the usual everyday term rather than the formal variant
impendency
vsimminence
9.3

A time when something is about to happen

is preferred in general modern usage
imminentness
vsimminence
  • Formal
8.8

A strong chance that something will happen very soon

is the standard choice in most contexts
forthcomingness
vsimminence
9.1

The fact that something will happen soon

focuses narrowly on the state of happening very soon

Antonyms

remoteness
3 4.8

Being far away in place, time, or connection

How Imminent

immediacy
16 5.8
imminence
  • Formal
2 7.0

Surface Forms

imminence singular
imminences plural

Morphology

imminence = imminent (semi-transparent) = im + min + ence

The base 'imminent' is clear, but the shift from 'imminent' to 'imminence' involves a subtle change from adjective to noun.

Etymology

Imminence comes from the old Latin verb imminere, which meant 'to hang over' or be very near; imagine a dark cloud hanging over a town. So imminence is the state of something being 'about to happen very soon'.