What does "imminent" mean?
Imminent: Full of danger; threatening; menacing; perilous. Hairbreadth scapes i' the imminent deadly breach. Shak.
Additional senses
- 2.(With upon) Bent upon; attentive to. [R.] Their eyes ever imminent upon worldly matters. Milton. -- 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. Three times to-day You have defended me from imminent death. Shak. No story I unfold of public woes, Nor bear advices of impending foes. Pope. Fierce faces threatening war. Milton.
Sources
- Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913 edition (public domain, via GCIDE / Project Gutenberg).
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- Published: 2026-07-17T00:00:00-07:00 · Modified: 2026-07-17T00:00:00-07:00