premonitory
Americanadjective
Etymology
Origin of premonitory
From the Late Latin word praemonitōrius, dating back to 1640–50. See pre-, monitory
Explanation
Use the adjective premonitory to describe something that predicts something bad will happen, like a premonitory sneezing fit that comes before you come down with an awful cold. The adjective premonitory is related to the Latin word praemonere, from prae, meaning “before,” and monere, meaning “warn.” The dark premonitory clouds that roll in before a storm can ruin your day at the beach, or the premonitory feeling that a new friend isn't trustworthy are warnings to pack up and get out before something disastrous happens.
Vocabulary lists containing premonitory
A Walk in the Woods
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Vocabulary Video Contest (2013) - List 2
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"Tlön, Uqbar, Orbus Tertius" by Jorge Luis Borges
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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.
As premonitory cinema goes, “Brazil” is perhaps matched only by Paddy Chayefsky’s 1976 “Network.”
From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 7, 2025
I wondered, too, about a similar narrative distortion that aims to make Dean’s sense of an oncoming pandemic seem premonitory.
From Washington Post • May 5, 2021
Ramis' premonitory notion is a fairly succinct summary of what most people remember about the performer – that he was aggressively funny, a ball of jokester chaos with musical chops that augmented his comedic identity.
From Salon • Nov. 22, 2020
In a moment of premonitory recognition, Betts took as his prison name “Shahid,” the Arabic word for “witness.”
From New York Times • Oct. 15, 2019
In 1598, one of the many premonitory tremors of the coming Thirty Years’ War engulfed him.
From "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan
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.
