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
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
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
Noun
-
Retroactively, they were interpreted as premonitions of the 1994 violence that saw many thousands of locals, primarily Tutsis, massacred at the hands of Hutu Génocidaires.—
Jessica Kiang,
Variety,
26 May 2026
-
The actress previously recalled having a bizarre premonition before director Sam Pinkleton even called her about the role.—
Dave Quinn,
PEOPLE,
19 May 2026
Noun
-
High humidity due to an influx of tropical moisture combined with real temperatures in the upper 80s will create feels-like temperatures in the upper 90s.—
Scott Withers,
CBS News,
13 June 2026
-
As is Takal, clearly having fun with the film’s queasy, lurching atmospherics, abetted by the sparse, shivery, atonal chimes of Jonathan Goldsmith’s score, and the floating, disembodied feel of Robert Leitzell’s camerawork.—
Guy Lodge,
Variety,
13 June 2026
Noun
-
Little signs of humanity appeared in every direction, quietly defusing what could have become a disaster instigated by fear.—
Antonio Ferme,
Variety,
14 June 2026
-
The event was halted after an hour due to fears about her safety, which distressingly encapsulates a tension that the trans Mayan artist has navigated for years.—
Eugenie Brinkema,
ARTnews.com,
14 June 2026
Noun
-
Three weeks into his third season, Smith was involved in a single-car accident and was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence and possession of marijuana.—
Nick Harris,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
14 June 2026
-
In 2013 he was involved in a single-vehicle accident and subsequently was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence and possession of marijuana.—
Blair Kerkhoff,
Kansas City Star,
14 June 2026
Noun
-
Wood’s career was derailed by injuries, leading to worries of hard throwers being susceptible to blowing out pitching arms.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
18 June 2026
-
The New Jersey Girl and its parent company, The Local Girl Media Group, live on addressing public worries; this one just happened to have stakes for a broader population.—
Justin Birnbaum,
Sportico.com,
18 June 2026
Noun
-
The six-minute quasi-title track works as a centerpiece, its compressed qanun (a stringed Middle Eastern instrument, played here by the acclaimed Syrian musician Maya Youssef) looping in the background as electronic pulses, foreboding pianos, and disembodied voices swirl around the mix.—
Alex Robert Ross,
Pitchfork,
15 June 2026
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To put it plainly, there is no foreboding El Niño cloud that will appear above your house, and many random weather events will still occur that have few, if any, tangible links to the weather phenomenon.—
CNN.com Wire Service,
Mercury News,
19 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Presentiment.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/presentiment. Accessed 20 Jun. 2026.
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