imminent

comparative more imminent · superlative most imminent

1. About to happen, occur, or take place very soon, especially of something which won't last long.

   “Iran posed no imminent threat to our nation, and it is clear that we started this war due to pressure from Israel and its powerful American lobby.”

   2026 March 17, Julian E. Barnes, Robert Draper, Luke Broadwater, quoting Joe Kent, “Joe Kent, a Top Counterterrorism Official for the Trump Administration, Resigns, Citing Iran War”, in The New York Times, →ISSN

   3 more examples

   To courageous, self-reliant men, with confidence in the power of free and fearless reasoning applied through the processes of popular government, no danger flowing from speech can be deemed clear and present unless the incidence of the evil apprehended is so imminent that it may befall before there is opportunity for full discussion.

   1927, Whitney v. California

   Leon also noted that the government “does not cite a single instance in which analysis of the NSA’s bulk metadata collection actually stopped an imminent attack, or otherwise aided the government in achieving any objective that was time-sensitive in nature.”

   2013 December 16, Bill Mears, Evan Perez, “Judge: NSA domestic phone data-mining unconstitutional”, in CNN, archived from the original on 09 Feb 2018

   The Second World War was reaching fever pitch, with the entire Allied effort in top gear for the imminent invasion of Europe, while later that month buzz bombs would start falling on London.

   2022 January 12, Benedict le Vay, “The heroes of Soham...”, in RAIL, number 948, page 42

   Synonyms: inevitable, immediate, impending, around the corner, at hand, forthcoming, impendent, impending