as in premonition
a feeling that something bad will happen
a nagging presentiment of danger
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of presentiment
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
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
-
The earlier photo feels like a premonition.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
22 Sep. 2025
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How did their mother deal with this premonition?—
Stephen Schaefer,
Boston Herald,
19 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Switching to pricier papers specifically designed for inkjets can boost an ink tank printer's text quality and line graphics to at least match a laser, but the different paper types have a noticeably different feel than standard plain paper.—
PC Magazine,
PC Magazine,
30 Sep. 2025
-
It was used on pretty pumps and as a panel on suede ballerina sneakers, giving the athletic style an elegant feel.—
Martino Carrera,
Footwear News,
29 Sep. 2025
Noun
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For its part, the stock market has defied financial fears during recent government shutdowns.—
Max Zahn,
ABC News,
30 Sep. 2025
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For Jones, that means confronting her childhood fear of clowns.—
Dave Quinn,
PEOPLE,
29 Sep. 2025
Noun
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While Hern was not accused of causing his wife's death, court records show that authorities had suspicions to the contrary.—
Quinlan Bentley,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
2 Oct. 2025
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More than any other change, this one act cemented Twitter’s new identity as a right-wing media platform that acted as an extension of Musk’s own political beliefs, paranoid suspicions, midnight musings and personal interests.—
Jacob Silverman,
MSNBC Newsweek,
1 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Shanen Wright, 48, a lifelong Charleston resident who lives near CAMC Memorial, said many in the city have little worry about flooding in the face of more immediate problems, like the opioid epidemic and the decline of manufacturing and mining.—
CNN Money,
CNN Money,
5 Oct. 2025
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Rising worries During the Milken Institute Asia Summit, other experts warned that retail inflows could distort pricing, erode returns and destabilize fund structures designed for long-term investments or patient capital.—
Lee Ying Shan,
CNBC,
3 Oct. 2025
Noun
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In the immediate aftermath of a killing with obvious political resonance, there is a period of nervous foreboding, as the public waits for news of the perpetrator’s identity and for any hints of what might have motivated the terrible act, and braces for the recriminations to come.—
Benjamin Wallace-Wells,
New Yorker,
11 Sep. 2025
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But a sense of foreboding about the future of the business has begun to infuse even certain corners of this typically uncynical group.—
Katie Kilkenny,
HollywoodReporter,
4 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Presentiment.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/presentiment. Accessed 7 Oct. 2025.
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