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
  • Clouding her expression is the premonition of Christ’s suffering.
    — Carmen Rosenberg-Miller, Artforum, 6 Aug. 2026
  • Rèv is a blend of premonition, spirituality, and everyday life.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 27 July 2026
Definition of premonition
Noun
  • There’s an incredibly welcoming feel, and no staffer blinks an eye at accommodating a baby or rowdy teens.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 8 Aug. 2026
  • But these technical qualities only throw into relief the plastic, uncanny-valley feel of the characters whizzing about this latter-day Skull Island.
    — Caspar Salmon, Variety, 7 Aug. 2026
Definition of feel
Noun
  • Leaders in Springfield say the growing ICE presence many fear hasn’t yet materialized.
    — Catherine E. Shoichet, CNN Money, 9 Aug. 2026
  • Finally, heading off to senior year wearing a Care Bears backpack could be a coping mechanism that helps teens deal with fears about the future.
    — Melissa Willets, Parents, 8 Aug. 2026
Definition of fear
Noun
  • Though the 34 cameras have been mounted at intersections throughout the city for several years, there's a new wave of suspicion about them and the way they're utilized by law enforcement.
    — Nicole Comstock, CBS News, 12 Aug. 2026
  • Without an arrest, swirling suspicions were having their own corrosive effects on Incline Village, resident Michelle Pettibone said.
    — Andrew Graham, Sacbee.com, 12 Aug. 2026
Definition of suspicion
Noun
  • For some clubs that were running close to the wire under PSR, the shift will ease regulatory worries, as operating costs are now excluded.
    — Chris Weatherspoon, New York Times, 14 Aug. 2026
  • Symptoms Symptoms can include sleeplessness, extreme worry about the baby or childbirth, restlessness and a racing heartbeat.
    — Jen Christensen, CNN Money, 13 Aug. 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

Browse Nearby Words

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 15 Aug. 2026.

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