Make Your Point: IMMINENT

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pronounce IMMINENT:

IM uh nunt

connect this word to others:

The word imminent ("jutting out over you: looming, threatening") is closely related to prominent ("jutting forward: easy to notice"), _minent ("jutting out from the crowd: remarkable"), and p___minent ("jutting out from the crowd even more than others: highly remarkable").

All four of those bold words trace back to the Latin minere, meaning "to jut out."

(To reveal any word with blanks, give it a click.)

definition:

"Imminent" has Latin bits that mean "jutting out upon." We've used it in English for many centuries to describe bad things that are soon to happen and therefore are making you feel anxious, worried, stressed, or scared.

In other words, when some dreaded, dangerous, or unpleasant event seems to jut out over you or loom over you, reminding you that it's going to happen and you can't avoid it, that event is imminent.

grammatical bits:

Part of speech:

Adjective: "our imminent failure;" "Our failure is imminent."

Other forms:

The noun is "imminence," as in "the imminence of war" or "the imminence of danger."

And the adverb is "imminently," as in "War is expected imminently."

how to use it:

The word "imminent" is formal, common, and dramatic, so pick it when you want to sound dire.

We most often talk about imminent storms, fights, attacks, collisions, failures, danger, death, disaster, and destruction.

Less often, we talk about imminent arrivals, departures, meetings, and partings: the kind that, for whatever reason, stress people out.

examples:

"Anthony Levandowski formed Way of the Future church in 2017 with the aim of creating a peaceful transition into an imminent world where machines surpass human capabilities."
— Melissa Hellmann, Seattle Times, 10 November 2019

"WHEN STUNG [BY AN IRUKANDJI JELLYFISH], PATIENTS REPORT A FEELING OF IMPENDING DOOM; SOME PATIENTS ARE SO CERTAIN THAT DEATH IS IMMINENT THEY BEG PHYSICIANS TO KILL THEM SO THEY CAN 'GET IT OVER WITH.'"
— Ali Benjamin, The Thing About Jellyfish, 2015

has this page helped you understand "imminent"?

Awesome, I'm glad it helped!

Thanks for letting me know!
If you have any questions about this term, please message me at Liesl@HiloTutor.com.

study it:

Explain the meaning of "imminent" without saying "looming" or "inescapable."

try it out:

As we've seen, "imminent" is often a serious word for events we dread. So, we can get laughs by applying it instead to unserious events we find annoying.

For example, in J. R. R. Tolkien's The Fellowship of the Ring, as Bilbo is giving a long speech at his birthday party and his jokes aren't landing, the narrator says:

"Obstinate silence. They all feared that a song or some poetry was now imminent; and they were getting bored. Why couldn't he stop talking and let them drink his health?"

With this example in mind, talk about a time you knew that some annoying or tiresome ritual, comment, question, or recitation was imminent.

before you review, play:

Try to spend 20 seconds or more on the game below. Don’t skip straight to the review—first, let your working memory empty out.

Our game this month is "What Are You Implying?"

Build your word-finding muscle as you reach for synonyms for various implications.

For example, what's a synonym for "living thing" that
1. ...implies that someone made it?
2. ...implies that it simply exists?
3. ...implies that it has an intangible essence?

Your answers could be 1. "creature," 2. "being," and 3. "soul."

Try these today:

What's a synonym for "flame" that
1. ...implies that it's a tiny flame?
2. ...implies that the flame appears and disappears quickly?
3. ...implies that it's a huge flame?

To see some possible answers, scroll all the way down.

review this word:

1. The opposite of IMMINENT could be

A. BYGONE or FAR-OFF.
B. SOAKED or PARCHED.
C. DELICATE or SHIMMERING.

2. You’re most likely to read about imminent _____.

A. tips, tricks, or hacks
B. risk, peril, or humiliation
C. friendships, adventures, or lessons

a final word:

I hope you're enjoying Make Your Point. It's made with love.

I'm Liesl Johnson, a reading and writing tutor on a mission to explore, illuminate, and celebrate words.

From my blog:
On vocabulary...
  36 ways to study words.
  Why we forget words, & how to remember them.
  How to use sophisticated words without being awkward.
On writing...
How to improve any sentence.
How to motivate our kids to write.
How to stop procrastinating and start writing.
How to bulk up your writing when you have to meet a word count.

From my heart: a profound thanks to the generous patrons, donors, and sponsors that make it possible for me to write these emails. If you'd like to be a patron or a donor, please click here. If you'd like to be a sponsor and include your ad in an issue, please contact me at Liesl@HiloTutor.com.

A disclaimer: When I write definitions, I use plain language and stick to the words' common, useful applications. If you're interested in authoritative and multiple definitions of words, I encourage you to check a dictionary. Also, because I'm American, I stick to American English when I share words' meanings, usage, and pronunciations; these elements sometimes vary across world Englishes.

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