presentiment

noun

pre·sen·ti·ment pri-ˈzen-tə-mənt

Synonyms of presentiment

: a feeling that something will or is about to happen : premonition

presentimental

pri-ˌzen-tə-ˈmen-tᵊl

adjective

Did you know?

Do you ever have presentiments, Mr. Flintwich?' 'I am not sure that I know what you mean by the term, sir,' replied that gentleman. 'Say, in this case, Mr. Flintwich, undefined anticipations of pleasure to come.' 'I can't say I'm sensible of such a sensation at present,' returned Mr. Flintwich, with the utmost gravity. Nothing sensational said here, perhaps, but Mr. Flintwich shows a sensitivity to words that, like "presentiment," are related to the Latin verb sentire, ("to feel"). He uses two of these words, and we've added three more. The quote is from Charles Dickens' Little Dorrit, and the words are "sensible," "sensation," "sensational," "sensitivity," and "sense."

Examples of presentiment in a Sentence

a nagging presentiment of danger

Recent Examples on the Web

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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

Word History

Etymology

French pressentiment, from Middle French, from pressentir to have a presentiment, from Latin praesentire to feel beforehand, from prae- + sentire to feel — more at sense

First Known Use

1714, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler

The first known use of presentiment was in 1714

See more words from the same year