presentiment

noun

pri-ˈzen-tə-mənt How to pronounce presentiment (audio)
Definition of presentimentnext
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
  1. premonition
  2. feel
  3. fear
  4. suspicion
  5. worry
  6. foreboding
Noun
  • Rèv is a blend of premonition, spirituality, and everyday life.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 27 July 2026
  • 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
Definition of premonition
Noun
  • In this tall, slender building though, there’s a feel of being tucked away in the eaves of a guesthouse on some cobblestoned European side street, especially after the long and creaky elevator ride.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 1 Aug. 2026
  • My full College Football 27 review covers where that on-field feel landed in detail.
    — Brian Mazique, Forbes.com, 1 Aug. 2026
Definition of feel
Noun
  • However, analyst Gavin Parsons highlighted that an acceleration in organic revenue growth would settle market fears.
    — Assiatou Hann, CNBC, 1 Aug. 2026
  • Herzog raised fears that the mayor’s rhetoric stokes hate against Jews, including in New York City, which holds the largest Jewish population of any city in the United States.
    — Emily Hallas, The Washington Examiner, 1 Aug. 2026
Definition of fear
Noun
  • Cyprus is also a nexus point for heightened tensions between Turkey and Israel, which eyes Turkish military installations on Cyprus with suspicion.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 29 July 2026
  • From that moment suspicion corrodes old loyalties, and the village’s Muslims are evacuated to a refugee camp for transport to Pakistan.
    — Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 29 July 2026
Definition of suspicion
Noun
  • There have also been growing concerns that AI companies are propping each other up through a web of funding deals, with Nvidia at the heart of those worries.
    — Lisa Eadicicco, CNN Money, 31 July 2026
  • Those worries came to a head after the May election rout, leading to Starmer’s fall and Burnham’s rise.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 30 July 2026
Definition of worry
Noun
  • On his first appearance for Peak Oil, the Mancunian producer animates foreboding, percussive bass music with tricky details and Escherian grooves.
    — Philip Sherburne, Pitchfork, 30 July 2026
  • 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
Definition of foreboding

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presented
presentiment
presentiments
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Cite this Entry

“Presentiment.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/presentiment. Accessed 5 Aug. 2026.

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