Imminent

imminent
    adj 1: close in time; about to occur; "retribution is at hand";
           "some people believe the day of judgment is close at
           hand"; "in imminent danger"; "his impending retirement"
           [syn: {at hand(p)}, {close at hand(p)}, {imminent},
           {impendent}, {impending}]
    

Imminent \Im"mi*nent\, a. [L. imminens, p. pr. of imminere to
   project; pref. im- in + minere (in comp.) to jut, project.
   See {Eminent}.]
   1. Threatening to occur immediately; near at hand; impending;
      -- said especially of misfortune or peril. "In danger
      imminent." --Spenser.
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   2. Full of danger; threatening; menacing; perilous.
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            Hairbreadth scapes i' the imminent deadly breach.
                                                  --Shak.
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   3. (With upon) Bent upon; attentive to. [R.]
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            Their eyes ever imminent upon worldly matters.
                                                  --Milton.

   Syn: Impending; threatening; near; at hand.

   Usage: {Imminent}, {Impending}, {Threatening}. Imminent is
          the strongest: it denotes that something is ready to
          fall or happen on the instant; as, in imminent danger
          of one's life. Impending denotes that something hangs
          suspended over us, and may so remain indefinitely; as,
          the impending evils of war. Threatening supposes some
          danger in prospect, but more remote; as, threatening
          indications for the future.
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                Three times to-day
                You have defended me from imminent death.
                                                  --Shak.
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                No story I unfold of public woes,
                Nor bear advices of impending foes. --Pope.
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                Fierce faces threatening war.     --Milton.
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108 Moby Thesaurus words for "imminent":
      about to be, abusive, advancing, alarming, already in sight,
      anticipated, approaching, approximate, approximative, at hand,
      attracted to, awaited, bludgeoning, blustering, brewing,
      browbeating, bulldozing, bullying, close, close at hand, coming,
      comminatory, denunciatory, desired, destinal, destined, determined,
      drawn to, due, emergent, eventual, expected, extrapolated, fatal,
      fated, fatidic, fear-inspiring, foreboding, foreseen, forthcoming,
      future, futuristic, gathering, going to happen, hectoring,
      hereafter, hoped-for, immediate, impendent, impending,
      in danger imminent, in prospect, in reserve, in store,
      in the cards, in the offing, in the wind, in view, ineluctable,
      inescapable, inevasible, inevitable, instant, intimidating, later,
      likely, long-expected, looming, lowering, lurking, menacing,
      minacious, minatory, momentary, near, near at hand, nearing, nigh,
      ominous, on the horizon, oncoming, overdue, overhanging, pending,
      planned, plotted, possible, predicted, preparing, presumed,
      probable, projected, promised, prophesied, prospective, proximate,
      sinister, terroristic, terrorizing, that will be, threatening,
      threatful, to come, to-be, ultimate, unavoidable, upcoming,
      waiting