Imminent

3 definitions found

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  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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From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:

  imminent
       adj : 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)}, {impending}]

From Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0 [moby-thes]:

  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