Synonyms of imminent

imminent

adjective

ˈi-mə-nənt 

1

as in impending

giving signs of immediate occurrence

a storm is imminent, so you should seek shelter now

Synonyms & Similar Words

• impending
• looming
• possible
• coming
• approaching
• brewing
• around the corner
• threatening
• future
• pending
• probable
• inevitable
• nearing
• forthcoming
• upcoming
• unavoidable
• predicted
• ominous
• oncoming
• likely
• anticipated
• apocalyptic
• gathering
• foreseen
• awaited
• near
• expected
• menacing
• portentous
• lowering

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• distant
• eventual
• ultimate
• remote
• past
• former
• recent
• far-off
• late
• bygone

2

as in upcoming

being soon to appear or take place

an imminent development that should radically transform how we treat the disease

Synonyms & Similar Words

• upcoming
• approaching
• impending
• coming
• nearing
• to come
• forthcoming
• oncoming
• at hand
• on hand
• future
• proximate
• pending
• on tap
• anticipated
• awaited
• predicted
• expected
• foreseen

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• recent
• late
• other
• past
• former
• sometime
• foregone
• old
• erstwhile
• bygone
• onetime
• quondam
• whilom

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of imminent

During the town hall, Caudle told a sailor who was evacuated from Bahrain that officials are working on retrieving belongings that were left behind because the Navy does not have imminent plans to return to the same level of footprint on the base. — Eleanor Watson, CBS News, 21 Sep. 2026

Futurists herald the imminent arrival of abundance, prosperity, and limitless joy and, equally, joblessness and purposelessness, never quite wrestling with the contradiction between those forecasts. — Jill Lepore, New Yorker, 21 Sep. 2026

None of that, however, signals an imminent financial crisis or economic collapse, economists say. — ABC News, 18 Sep. 2026

See latest outlook The imminent layoffs were first reported by Crain's Detroit Business. — Paul Egan, Freep.com, 18 Sep. 2026