as in premonition
a feeling that something bad will happen
a nagging presentiment of danger
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
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
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
His presentiments had been right, but all those garlic pills and pulse recordings had done nothing to save him.
—Gillian Silverman, The New Yorker, 15 July 2023
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
During the 1919 scenes she is occasionally stopped in her tracks by presentiments of what’s in store around the corner.
—Jesse Green, New York Times, 10 Oct. 2017
Willing Davidson, The New Yorker, 21 July 2024
His presentiments had been right, but all those garlic pills and pulse recordings had done nothing to save him.
—Gillian Silverman, The New Yorker, 15 July 2023
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
During the 1919 scenes she is occasionally stopped in her tracks by presentiments of what’s in store around the corner.
—Jesse Green, New York Times, 10 Oct. 2017
Recent Examples of Synonyms for presentiment
Noun
-
The movies had developed a bit of a formulaic structure where there was a premonition, the premonition was avoided, and then death came after the characters one by one.—
William Earl,
Variety,
16 May 2025
-
But then cut again several months, when, in fact, Lucas' premonition proved accurate, and Jaws essentially invented the modern summer blockbuster and became the biggest moneymaker ever.—
Jordan Hoffman,
EW.com,
21 June 2025
Noun
-
Just off the sand, antique shops and farm stands along the streets of Southampton give it a small-town feel.—
AFAR Media,
AFAR Media,
14 July 2025
-
The breezy capri length hits just right for warm days, offering an airy feel without going full short.—
Taylor Jean Stephan,
People.com,
13 July 2025
Noun
-
Concerns of fear growing in migrant communities Mora said this issue runs deep for him and others who work in immigration law.—
Noe Padilla,
IndyStar,
23 July 2025
-
Several top Trump administration officials sold off stock market holdings in the days leading up to the president’s announcements of sweeping tariffs that sparked fears of a global trade war and rattled financial markets.—
Suhail Bhat,
USA Today,
22 July 2025
Noun
-
Their suspicions persist despite the Department of Justice releasing a memo July 7 that tried to close the book on the Epstein saga.—
Zac Anderson,
USA Today,
23 July 2025
-
Brad confirms Sophie’s suspicions, at which point Sophie confronts Margo.—
Nicole Briese,
People.com,
23 July 2025
Noun
-
The details for Alphabet will be necessary, as the stock has been held back by worries that artificial intelligence (AI) will disrupt their search business.—
Bill Stone,
Forbes.com,
20 July 2025
-
Optimism about the power of technology and innovation was mixed with worries about geopolitics and the state of civil society.—
Diane Brady,
Fortune,
18 July 2025
Noun
-
Andrew Skeet and Nathan Klein’s orchestral original score sets an appropriate tone of mournful foreboding.—
Dennis Harvey,
Variety,
7 June 2025
-
Early in President Donald Trump’s second term, European leaders and many U.S. defense and security experts were anticipating this week’s NATO summit with foreboding.—
Howard LaFranchi,
Christian Science Monitor,
23 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Presentiment.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/presentiment. Accessed 1 Aug. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share