ONCOMING Synonyms: 32 Similar and Opposite Words

oncoming

adjective

ˈȯn-ˌkə-miŋ

Definition of oncoming

as in upcoming

being soon to appear or take place we're looking forward to your oncoming visit

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of oncoming Second fatal train crash this year The wreckage of Wednesday’s crash reminded many of the aftermath of another train collision in January, when 46 people died in southern Spain when an IRYO train jumped the track and hit an oncoming RENFE train. — Joseph Wilson, Los Angeles Times, 28 Oct. 2026 In January, 45 people died in southern Spain when a train jumped the track and hit an oncoming train. — CBS News, 28 Oct. 2026 An Iryo train traveling from Malaga to Madrid derailed near Adamuz, in southern Spain, and collided with an oncoming Renfe train heading to Huelva. — ABC News, 28 Oct. 2026 But, Burke kept going, turning into oncoming traffic on Southwest 77th Avenue. — David Goodhue, Miami Herald, 23 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for oncoming

Recent Examples of Synonyms for oncoming

Adjective

The mid-October 2026 campaign used an upcoming cyber model that the company has not yet publicly identified.

— Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 5 Nov. 2026
Wyden also declared expanding healthcare and asserting authority over trade policy as legislative priorities for the upcoming session.

— Spencer Kimball,Garrett Downs,Dan Mangan,Kevin Breuninger,Justin Papp, CNBC, 4 Nov. 2026

Definition of upcoming

Adjective

But Chang, who was then working for a solar-energy startup, found the proceedings unexpectedly disinterested in political strategy, even as the 2024 Presidential election was fast approaching.

— Benjamin Wallace-Wells, New Yorker, 18 Oct. 2026
The deadline to register to vote in Pennsylvania for the 2026 midterm election is fast approaching.

— Madeline Bartos, CBS News, 16 Oct. 2026

Definition of approaching

Adjective

Trump himself has been making the strongest possible case for his party’s impending defeat.

— Susan B. Glasser, New Yorker, 3 Nov. 2026
So, for anyone still unprepared for the impending freezing temperatures, consider following Jennifer Lawrence, Dakota Johnson, and Celine Dion’s lead and adding a personality coat to your winter wardrobe.

— Hannah Jackson, Vogue, 2 Nov. 2026

Definition of impending

Browse Nearby Words

on cloud nine

oncoming

on deck

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Oncoming.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/oncoming. Accessed 10 Nov. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of oncoming

adjective

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

defer

Popular in Grammar & Usage

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

31 Useful Rhetorical Devices

More Commonly Misspelled Words

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

Popular in Wordplay

Great Big List of Beautiful and Useless Words, Vol. 5

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

The Longest Long Words List

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Popular

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Great Big List of Beautiful and Useless Words, Vol. 5

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Games & Quizzes