premonition

noun

pre·​mo·​ni·​tion ˌprē-mə-ˈni-shən  ˌpre- 

1

: previous notice or warning : forewarning

2

: anticipation of an event without conscious reason : presentiment

Synonyms

• foreboding
• presage
• presentiment
• prognostication

Examples of premonition in a Sentence

She had a premonition that he would call.

she had a premonition that her cat would somehow get hurt that day

Recent Examples on the Web

Instead, the film follows a woman, Stefani (Kaitlyn Santa Juana), whose grandmother, Iris (Gabrielle Rose), had a premonition and survived a tower collapse decades ago. —Brendan Morrow, USA Today, 16 May 2025

The ensuing explosion incinerates them both. 22. North Bay Bridge collapse (Final Destination 5) The premonition that kicks off Final Destination 5 starts off weak. —Gayle Sequeira, Vulture, 16 May 2025

The production’s most elaborate sequence to shoot was Alex’s premonition, in which audiences would see the inside of the plane tear apart. —Maureen Lee Lenker, EW.com, 16 May 2025

Humanity, in the novel, has lived under the recurrent threat of catastrophically destructive memes—dark, self-fulfilling premonitions of scarcity, zero-sum competition, fear, mistrust, inegalitarianism. —Gideon Lewis-Kraus, New Yorker, 28 May 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English premunition, from Anglo-French, from Medieval Latin premunition-, premunitio, alteration of Late Latin praemonitio, from Latin praemonēre to warn in advance, from prae- + monēre to warn — more at mind

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for premonition

• abolition
• acquisition
• admonition
• ammunition
• apparition
• apposition
• coalition
• competition
• composition
• definition
• deglutition
• demolition

Kids Definition

premonition

noun

pre·​mo·​ni·​tion ˌprē-mə-ˈnish-ən  ˌprem-ə- 

: a feeling that something is going to happen

a premonition of disaster

premonitory

pri-ˈmän-ə-ˌtōr-ē

-ˌtȯr-

adjective