premonition
Americannoun
-
a feeling of anticipation of or anxiety over a future event; presentiment.
He had a vague premonition of danger.
- Synonyms:
- sign, omen, portent, foreboding
-
a forewarning.
noun
-
an intuition of a future, usually unwelcome, occurrence; foreboding
-
an early warning of a future event; forewarning
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of premonition
First recorded in 1425–75; late Middle English premunicioun, from Late Latin praemonitiōn-, stem of praemonitiō “a forewarning”; equivalent to pre- + monition; also cf. praemunire
Explanation
Some people claim to have premonitions, such as a dream about a friend they haven't seen in years the night before the friend dies. A premonition is a warning that comes in advance, or a feeling that something is going to happen. Like the synonym foreboding, a premonition usually refers to something bad or harmful. This noun is from Middle French premonicion, from Late Latin praemonitio, from Latin praemonere "to warn in advance," from the prefix prae- "before" plus monere "to warn."
Vocabulary lists containing premonition
The Outsiders
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Power Prefix: pre-
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Metamorphosis
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The technical issues don’t obscure the sheer passion and energy that have clearly been poured into this project, and unlike, say, Deadly Premonition 2, the majority of the game does actually play well.
From The Verge • Aug. 27, 2021
Lewis lays out this chilling possibility in his new book, “The Premonition: A Pandemic Story,” which W.W.
From New York Times • Jan. 28, 2021
Premonition notwithstanding, Odenkirk decided to stick with comedy.
From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 21, 2019
Variable State’s upcoming Virginia is not set in Washington state, but is, like Deadly Premonition, influenced by the Snohomish-filmed Twin Peaks.
From Forbes • Aug. 11, 2014
To the end of life, indeed, it remained an unsolved mystery, labelled a Premonition Fulfilled, without adequate explanation.…
From The Wave An Egyptian Aftermath by Blackwood, Algernon
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
