Standard Lemma guide

imminent

adj · 2 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • ĭm′ə-nənt
  • /ˈɪmɪnənt/
  • /ˈɪmənənt/
  • UK: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • homophone: eminent
  • homophone: immanent (pin–pen merger)
  • CMU ARPABET: IH1 M AH0 N AH0 N T Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

adj

Meaning 1

About to happen, occur, or take place very soon, especially of something which won't last long.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: inevitable, immediate, impending, around the corner, at hand, forthcoming, imminent, impendent, in the offing, in the wind, instant, on the boil, pending, upcoming, proximate, to come, toward

Antonyms: none provided

2

adjective satellite

Meaning 2

close in time; about to occur

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • retribution is at hand
  • some people believe the day of judgment is close at hand
  • in imminent danger
  • his impending retirement

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: at hand(p), close at hand(p), impendent, impending

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

From the present participle of Latin imminēre (“to overhang”), from mineō ("to project, overhang"), related to minae (English menace) and mons (English mount). Compare with eminent.

Across languages

Translations

48 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Arabic: وَشِيك (wašīk) — about to happen, occur, or take place very soon
  • Belarusian: надыхо́дзячы (nadyxódzjačy) — about to happen, occur, or take place very soon
  • Belarusian: неміну́чы (njeminúčy) — about to happen, occur, or take place very soon
  • Belarusian: неадхі́льны (njeadxílʹny) — about to happen, occur, or take place very soon
  • Belarusian: няўхі́льны (njawxílʹny) — about to happen, occur, or take place very soon
  • Bulgarian: предстоя́щ (predstojášt) — about to happen, occur, or take place very soon
  • Bulgarian: немину́ем (neminúem) — about to happen, occur, or take place very soon
  • Catalan: imminent — about to happen, occur, or take place very soon
  • Chinese Mandarin: 即將來臨 /即将来临 (jíjiāng láilín) — about to happen, occur, or take place very soon
  • Czech: bezprostřední — about to happen, occur, or take place very soon
  • Dutch: imminent — about to happen, occur, or take place very soon
  • Dutch: dreigend — about to happen, occur, or take place very soon
  • Finnish: tuleva — about to happen, occur, or take place very soon
  • French: imminent — about to happen, occur, or take place very soon
  • Galician: inminente — about to happen, occur, or take place very soon
  • German: bevorstehend — about to happen, occur, or take place very soon
  • Greek: επικείμενος (epikeímenos) — about to happen, occur, or take place very soon
  • Ido: minac-anta — about to happen, occur, or take place very soon
  • Italian: imminente — about to happen, occur, or take place very soon
  • Korean: 절박한 (jeolbakhan) — about to happen, occur, or take place very soon
  • Korean: 절박하다 (jeolbakhada) — about to happen, occur, or take place very soon
  • Latvian: draudošs — about to happen, occur, or take place very soon
  • Latvian: nenovēršams — about to happen, occur, or take place very soon
  • Latvian: gaidāms — about to happen, occur, or take place very soon
  • Māori: raraka — about to happen, occur, or take place very soon
  • Norwegian Bokmål: nært forestående — about to happen, occur, or take place very soon
  • Norwegian Bokmål: umiddelbart forestående — about to happen, occur, or take place very soon
  • Norwegian Bokmål: overhengende — about to happen, occur, or take place very soon
  • Persian: قریبالوقوع (qarib-ol-voqu') — about to happen, occur, or take place very soon
  • Plautdietsch: dreiwent — about to happen, occur, or take place very soon
  • Polish: bliski — about to happen, occur, or take place very soon
  • Polish: nadciągający — about to happen, occur, or take place very soon
  • Portuguese: iminente — about to happen, occur, or take place very soon
  • Romanian: iminent — about to happen, occur, or take place very soon
  • Russian: предстоя́щий (predstojáščij) — about to happen, occur, or take place very soon
  • Russian: надвига́ющийся (nadvigájuščijsja) — about to happen, occur, or take place very soon
  • Russian: немину́емый (neminújemyj) — about to happen, occur, or take place very soon
  • Russian: неизбе́жный (neizbéžnyj) — about to happen, occur, or take place very soon
  • Sanskrit: भविष्य (bhaviṣya) — about to happen, occur, or take place very soon
  • Serbo-Croatian: iminentno — about to happen, occur, or take place very soon
  • Serbo-Croatian: neminovno — about to happen, occur, or take place very soon
  • Serbo-Croatian: neizbježno — about to happen, occur, or take place very soon
  • Serbo-Croatian: neposredno — about to happen, occur, or take place very soon
  • Serbo-Croatian: prestojeće — about to happen, occur, or take place very soon
  • Spanish: inminente — about to happen, occur, or take place very soon
  • Swedish: nära förestående — about to happen, occur, or take place very soon
  • Swedish: överhängande — about to happen, occur, or take place very soon
  • Ukrainian: немину́чий (nemynúčyj) — about to happen, occur, or take place very soon