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
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
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Growing up in tension, fearing a parent’s volatility, can leave a young person with painful but shrewd premonitions about possible danger and with acute impulses to protection.—
Mikal Gilmore,
Rolling Stone,
17 Jan. 2025
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That premonition rings true when his parents (Tara Buckman, Geoff Hansen) are slaughtered by a carjacker dressed as Old Saint Nick himself (Charles Dierkop) just hours later, condemning the toddler into further moral compass trauma at an orphanage run by a domineering Mother Superior nun from Hell.—
Huntley Woods,
EW.com,
19 Dec. 2024
Noun
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Along with Taylor’s rich voice, the record shone through its fluorescent electro flourishes and euphoric pop feel.—
Sophie Williams,
Billboard,
28 Jan. 2025
-
Plus, setting it up is super simple, the bass is strong enough to shake your room, and the Dolby Atmos feature adds this amazing 3D feel to the audio that pulls you into the action.—
Shubham Yewale,
PCMAG,
28 Jan. 2025
Noun
-
Letting go of the fear now serves as an unspoken theme of Chickahominy.—
Tricia Despres,
People.com,
23 Jan. 2025
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The worker said colleagues were concerned about using social media or their phones, even personal ones, for fear they are being monitored or tapped.—
Suzanne Gamboa,
NBC News,
23 Jan. 2025
Noun
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Privy to his suspicions and intentions is a mysterious gardener who seems to come out of nowhere with myriad solutions to our hero’s problems.—
Bilge Ebiri,
Vulture,
23 Jan. 2025
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After analyzing the videos, the team confirmed their suspicions: When one chimp started peeing, others quickly followed suit.—
Sarah Kuta,
Smithsonian Magazine,
21 Jan. 2025
Noun
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That bump defrayed worries over declining iPhone sales, which not only missed LSEG estimates by the largest margin in two years but were also lower compared with a year earlier because of weakness in the Greater China market.—
Yeo Boon Ping,
CNBC,
31 Jan. 2025
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Last year, despite worries about overcapacity, Congress approved an expansion to Reagan airport, adding five more long-haul daily flights.—
Joann Muller,
Axios,
31 Jan. 2025
Noun
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Mid- to late-cycle expansions don’t need to draw fuel from a deep reservoir of fear and foreboding, the way early-cycle recoveries do.—
Michael Santoli,
CNBC,
14 Dec. 2024
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His aunts offered us tortillas to warm our hands while his uncle expressed dark forebodings about our chances of success.—
Kayla Aletha Welch,
Longreads,
19 Nov. 2024
Thesaurus Entries Near presentiment
Cite this Entry
“Presentiment.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/presentiment. Accessed 6 Feb. 2025.
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