Thesaurus results for PRESENTIMENT

presentiment

noun

pri-ˈzen-tə-mənt

Definition of presentiment

as in premonition

a feeling that something bad will happen a nagging presentiment of danger

Synonyms & Similar Words

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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 presentiment That presentiment lies behind the many present expressions of apocalypse. — Literary Hub, 18 May 2026 Toni has been reluctant to let Amalie go out by herself—her bringing back a telescope seems to confirm some kind of fear, or presentiment. — Willing Davidson, The New Yorker, 21 July 2024 The lavishness turns quickly into horror — Godwin gives us buckets of blood unasked for in the original — and then into a presentiment of Lear on the heath. — Jesse Green, New York Times, 19 Jan. 2020 Seen from behind, men and women bundled up in heavy coats are saturated with a mute presentiment, that of people beginning to endure. — Han Kang, Harper's magazine, 10 Feb. 2019 Those years, of course, marked respectively the peak of the frenzied optimism of the last business cycle and the first chilling presentiments of what was to come. — Gerard Baker, WSJ, 25 Jan. 2019

Recent Examples of Synonyms for presentiment

Noun

Retroactively, they were interpreted as premonitions of the 1994 violence that saw many thousands of locals, primarily Tutsis, massacred at the hands of Hutu Génocidaires.

— Jessica Kiang, Variety, 26 May 2026
The actress previously recalled having a bizarre premonition before director Sam Pinkleton even called her about the role.

— Dave Quinn, PEOPLE, 19 May 2026

Definition of premonition

Noun

Originally designed by Jon Bannenberg, Sheergold’s interiors feature polished pear wood, Chesterfield sofas and brass detailing—creating the feel of a private country house at sea.

— Dea Jusufi, Forbes.com, 25 July 2026
The upcoming 2026-27 campaign has a similar feel to the start of the 2019-20 campaign.

— Nick Friedell, New York Times, 25 July 2026

Definition of feel

Noun

Saturn stations retrograde in your 12th House of Solitude, asking you to review rest, avoidance, private fears, and the habits that either restore you or keep you quietly overloaded.

— Tarot.com, Chicago Tribune, 26 July 2026
Taken the year after Till’s death, the climate remained highly dangerous for Black people, and Gordon wrote about his fear documenting the inequalities within the city.

— Jacqui Palumbo, CNN Money, 25 July 2026

Definition of fear

Noun

That’s a great disappointment, but there should be no suspicion of any bias on our part.

— Nick Vivarelli, Variety, 23 July 2026
The law replaces the prior probable-cause standard with reasonable suspicion based on observable signs of impairment and requires employers to document the basis for that suspicion before testing.

— Alonzo Martinez, Forbes.com, 20 July 2026

Definition of suspicion

Noun

After two years living in an RV at San Jose’s Columbus Park, Fernando Vilchis Alcantara eagerly accepted a spot at a motel the city converted into a homeless shelter, relieved to be free of the constant worry of being ticketed or towed.

— Luis Melecio-Zambrano, Mercury News, 23 July 2026
They’re not allowed to print money, so our worries shift from the asset class itself to the specifics of the issuer.

— Brett Owens, Forbes.com, 23 July 2026

Definition of worry

Noun

In Nolan’s telling, his deceit and plundering portend the collapse of the Bronze Age—a foreboding warning about greedy, fading empires that feels a little too relevant.

— Natasha O'Neill, Vanity Fair, 16 July 2026
As a result, the duo has written an exposé chock-full of anecdotes and reporting that range from the foreboding and concerning to the voyeuristic and absurd.

— Joseph Konig, PEOPLE, 1 July 2026

Definition of foreboding

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“Presentiment.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/presentiment. Accessed 29 Jul. 2026.

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Synonyms of presentiment

noun

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