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premonition

premonition

74 7.7
A strong feeling that something bad will happen soon
  • noun
  • /ˌprɛm.əˈnɪʃ.ən/
translation icon : presentimiento
  • I felt a strong premonition that something bad was about to happen as I entered the dark room.
  • premonition about the future
  • dream premonition
  • report a premonition

I said, look, the words you say to yourself in that scanner, this is a premonition of my death.

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Examples

  • Although she had a premonition of coming disaster, Thunapa knew she had to flee.

    Academic text (1999)
  • Watching the drill, Harry Carpenter had a curious premonition of imminent disaster.

    Fiction book (2000)
  • My father had a premonition all this would happen.

  • Oh, how I hope my premonition is wrong.

  • I had a premonition that I was gonna meet somebody when I came down here.

  • Have you ever had a premonition about a future event that actually happened?

    Academic text (2005)
  • Later such feelings would seem like a premonition, but at the time she pushed them aside.

    Fiction book (1996)
  • I had a dream last night, a tremendous premonition.

  • So why did she have this, this... premonition that crisis lurked just around the corner?

    Fiction book (2000)
  • I was shocked that it was gone, but more disturbed by my own premonition.

    Academic text (2012)

Synonyms

bad feeling
vspremonition
76 3.6

A sense that something bad may happen

is more specific and strong pointing clearly to imminent badness
dread
vspremonition
58 2.8

A strong feeling of fear or worry about something that may happen

is more about a general sense rather than focused fear
apprehension
vspremonition
32 4.4

A feeling of fear or worry that something bad may happen

is stronger as a clear forewarning rather than general unease
trepidation
vspremonition
23 8.1

A feeling of fear or worry about something that may happen

is a stronger clearer sign that an event will occur
foreboding
vspremonition
9 8.0

A strong feeling that something bad is going to happen

shares the same meaning and strength in most contexts
presentiment
vspremonition
1 9.1

A feeling that something bad is about to happen

focuses on a strong sense without implying immediate timing
presage
vspremonition
  • Literature
1 8.7

A sign or feeling that something bad will happen

is an internal strong sense rather than an external sign or omen
boding
vspremonition
1 8.9

A feeling that something bad will happen

places more emphasis on the feeling's strength and urgency

How Strong

dread
58 2.8
foreboding
9 8.0
premonition
74 7.7
hunch
159 4.7
inkling
33 6.1

Surface Forms

premonition singular
premonitions plural

Morphology

premonition = monition (semi-transparent) = pre + monit + ion

If a learner knows the rare noun 'monition', the word can be interpreted as a warning beforehand, but the common sense of an intuitive foreboding is not a fully regular compositional result.

Etymology

Premonition comes from Latin parts: pre- meaning 'before' and monere meaning 'to warn', and the same root appears in the word monitor. So a premonition is like a 'warning before' something happens, often a strong feeling that something bad will occur.