premonition

noun

pre·​mo·​ni·​tion ˌprē-mə-ˈni-shən How to pronounce premonition (audio) ˌpre- How to pronounce premonition (audio)
1
: previous notice or warning : forewarning
2
: anticipation of an event without conscious reason : presentiment

Examples of premonition in a Sentence

She had a premonition that he would call. she had a premonition that her cat would somehow get hurt that day
Recent Examples on the Web Equally, Ena weighs in with a large sense of historical premonition. John Hopewell, Variety, 22 Oct. 2024 Wagner commented that in opera the orchestra should act as a medium of premonition, indicating what is foreordained but not yet foreseen. Alex Ross, The New Yorker, 7 Oct. 2024 In 1943, Nena is a teenager who longs for adventure while plagued by premonitions. Theara Coleman, theweek, 7 Oct. 2024 Well, there’s a blurred line as to whether these are dreams or premonitions. Brian Davids, The Hollywood Reporter, 4 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for premonition 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'premonition.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Middle English premunition, from Anglo-French, from Medieval Latin premunition-, premunitio, alteration of Late Latin praemonitio, from Latin praemonēre to warn in advance, from prae- + monēre to warn — more at mind

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of premonition was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near premonition

Cite this Entry

“Premonition.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/premonition. Accessed 31 Oct. 2024.

Kids Definition

premonition

noun
pre·​mo·​ni·​tion ˌprē-mə-ˈnish-ən How to pronounce premonition (audio) ˌprem-ə- How to pronounce premonition (audio)
: a feeling that something is going to happen
a premonition of disaster
premonitory
pri-ˈmän-ə-ˌtōr-ē
-ˌtȯr-
adjective

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