Word: imminent (adjective)

Associations

"Imminent" means something is going to happen very soon, almost immediately. It often talks about events or situations that are about to occur and cannot be avoided.

• The storm is imminent. (The storm will come very soon.)
• The doctor said surgery is imminent. (The surgery will happen very soon.)
• Danger is imminent if you don’t leave now. (Danger will happen right away.)

A similar word is "impending." Both mean something is about to happen, but "imminent" usually feels more urgent and very close in time, while "impending" can be a little less immediate.

Substitution

You can replace "imminent" with:

• "about to happen" (more casual)
• "near" (in time)
• "forthcoming" (formal, but less urgent)
• "impending" (similar meaning, but sometimes less urgent)

Example:

• The arrival of the guests is imminent. → The arrival of the guests is about to happen.

Deconstruction

"Imminent" comes from Latin "imminentem," meaning "overhanging" or "threatening to happen." It has the prefix "im-" (meaning "toward" or "upon") and the root "minent" from "minere," meaning "to hang." So, it literally means something hanging over you, about to happen.

Inquiry

• Can you think of a situation where you felt something was imminent?
• How would you use "imminent" to warn someone about a danger?
• What feelings do you get when you hear something is imminent? Excitement? Fear? Why?