imminent
adj.about to happen very soon. You use this to describe something that feels like it is coming at any moment, often something important or scary.
adj.about to occur; impending or fast approaching. Typically used to describe events that are certain to happen in the immediate future, often with a sense of urgency or threat.
“The dark clouds suggest that a storm is imminent.”
“The government issued a warning because a volcanic eruption appeared imminent after several small earthquakes.”
“Despite the diplomat's optimistic public statements, the sudden movement of troops toward the border suggested that a full-scale invasion was imminent.”
Typically used as a predicative adjective after a linking verb or as an attributive adjective before a noun.
imminent vs eminent — Eminent describes a person of high status; imminent describes an event that is about to occur.
Learners often confuse 'imminent' (about to happen) with 'eminent' (famous or respected).
“Trump’s repeated mention of the idea appears closer to an exercise in political pressure than to the unveiling of an imminent military operation.”
“It means the evidence is complex, and the future of the system cannot yet be reduced to a simple story of imminent collapse.”
From the present participle of Latin imminēre (“to overhang”), from mineō ("to project, overhang"), related to minae (English menace) and mons (English mount). Compare with eminent.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.