Imminent

Podcast 1 · Introduction

Imminent

A documentary-style narration: origin, meaning, and feel.

Part of speech

adjective

Pronunciation

IM-ih-nunt  /ˈɪmɪnənt/

Definition

About to happen very soon; impending; (of a danger or event) close at hand and unavoidable or very likely.

Plain meaning

Imminent means about to happen very soon — usually with a sense of urgency or inevitability. An imminent storm means the storm will arrive very shortly. An imminent threat means the danger is right on the doorstep. An imminent birth means the baby is coming now. The word implies that the thing is so close that there is no longer time to prevent it.

Register

Neutral to formal. Imminent is used across registers — in everyday speech (imminent storm), journalism (imminent collapse), legal contexts (imminent threat), and medical contexts (imminent death). The word carries a sense of urgency that distinguishes it from merely upcoming or coming.