Synonyms of impending

impending 1 of 2

adjective

im-ˈpen-diŋ 

1

as in upcoming

being soon to appear or take place

an impending celebration of the 100th anniversary of the college's founding

Synonyms & Similar Words

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

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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

2

as in looming

giving signs of immediate occurrence

an aura of impending doom hung over the city

Synonyms & Similar Words

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

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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

impending

2 of 2

verb

present participle of impend

as in brewing

to be about to happen

for confirmed pessimists some disaster always seems to be impending

Synonyms & Similar Words

• looming
• brewing
• approaching
• hovering
• nearing
• threatening
• advancing
• drawing on
• hanging
• gathering
• closing in
• lowering
• overhanging
• menacing

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• declining
• diminishing
• waning
• falling
• vanishing
• dwindling
• lowering
• disappearing
• lessening
• shrinking
• tapering
• receding
• ebbing
• fading
• subsiding
• abating
• relenting
• moderating
• dying down
• tapering off
• remitting
• passing
• letting up
• withdrawing
• retreating
• falling back
• de-escalating

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of impending

Adjective

Ahead of Loki, Hiddleston made a point to brush up on the classical language of ancient Rome so that Loki could futilely warn the Pompeians of the impending apocalyptic event. — Brian Davids, HollywoodReporter, 16 July 2026

The clock has been ticking for some time, but now, an impending MLB work stoppage is upon us. — Ryan Morik, FOXNews.com, 15 July 2026

Verb

Ohtani was not present Friday night due to the baby’s impending birth when the Dodgers defeated the visiting Baltimore Orioles 6-5. — Reuters, NBC news, 20 June 2026

Caitlin Clark’s impending signature shoe debut is the most anticipated in the sport for quite some time. — Ian Servantes, Footwear News, 17 June 2026