imminence

Word family

• imminent
  adjectiveB2
• imminently
  adverbC1

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Imminence, proximity, immediacy, and inevitability all describe a relationship between an event and the present moment, but they emphasise different aspects. Imminence specifically means that an event is very likely to happen very soon — it combines nearness in time with a strong expectation. Proximity simply means closeness, whether in space or time, without the sense of looming urgency: you can talk about the proximity of two houses, but the imminence of a storm. Immediacy stresses the pressing, now-or-never quality of a situation — an immediate need is one that cannot wait — whereas imminence focuses on the event's approach rather than its demand for action. Inevitability means that something is certain to happen, regardless of when. A decision can be inevitable but not imminent (it will happen eventually, just not soon), and an event can be imminent but not inevitable (the storm might change course at the last moment). Use imminence when you want to emphasise that the event is right around the corner and feels unstoppable.

Common collocations

Etymology

From Latin imminentia ('a hanging over, an overhanging'), derived from imminēre ('to project, to overhang'), formed from the prefix in- ('toward, upon') and the root -minēre (related to 'to jut out, to project'). The sense of physical overhanging — a cliff hanging above you — was extended metaphorically in Late Latin to describe a threatening future event 'hanging over' someone. The word entered English via French in the early 17th century, carrying the same sense of something looming just ahead.