Presentiment

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /prɪˈzɛn.tɪ.mənt/

Definitions

1. A feeling that something will happen in the future, typically something bad or unpleasant, based on intuition rather than evidence
2. A premonition of an event yet to occur, often associated with anxiety or fear, that arises from a deep-seated intuition rather than concrete proof
3. An intuitive sense or forewarning of an impending occurrence, frequently negative in nature, that is experienced without any rational justification

Etymology: "Presentiment" entered English from French "pressentiment," the noun form of "pressentir," meaning to feel or sense something in advance. The French word combines "pre-", meaning "before," with "sentiment," meaning feeling or perception, so the whole word literally means a feeling that arrives beforehand. The English sense has narrowed over time. Its core idea is an intuition about something that has not yet happened, and the common modern use is the uneasy sense that something bad is coming. The word itself carries no grim meaning; the dread came to be attached to it through how people used it.

Synonyms: foreboding, premonition, intuition

Antonyms: certainty, assurance