Definition of premonitorynext
as in warning
serving as or offering a warning a moderate tremor that some seismologists have interpreted as a premonitory sign of the catastrophic quake that is inevitable

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of premonitory Engaging in physical activity may temporarily suppress tics and lessen the premonitory urge. — Mill Etienne, Forbes.com, 28 Feb. 2026 Many people feel an unpleasant building sensation before a tic, called a premonitory urge, describing it like an itch that needs to be scratched. — Rena Zito, Fortune, 26 Feb. 2026 There is a premonitory moment, too, in this book that wrings so much drama from so many backdoor meetings. — Doreen St. Félix, New Yorker, 1 Feb. 2026 As is the way with these premonitory lists, not all games are guaranteed 2025 releases. — Matt Gardner, Forbes, 6 Dec. 2024 Fashion observers had also noticed that Swift had introduced a premonitory blue bodysuit into her wardrobe at the Tuesday show. — Angelique Jackson, Variety, 9 Aug. 2023
Recent Examples of Synonyms for premonitory
Adjective
  • The bureau also will post more warning notices at 750 livestock sale facilities and review other potential changes to federal regulations.
    — SCOTT SONNER, Star Tribune, 27 July 2021
  • In response, statistical authorities around the world could do little but issue warning press releases.
    — Andrew Whitby, Time, 17 Apr. 2020
Adjective
  • And while the formal rules on travel have relaxed, the admonitory official language is unchanged.
    — John Liu, New York Times, 21 Jan. 2023
  • Satire has always had an admonitory function, and besides, some people are so obnoxious that a writer has to slow-walk the reader through their awfulness.
    — Judith Shulevitz, The Atlantic, 11 May 2022
Adjective
  • The cautionary tale of using technology to predict box office outcomes centers on Relativity Media, which pitched data analysis in a pre-generative AI world but later went bankrupt.
    — John Kell, Fortune, 30 Sep. 2026
  • The 92-minute feature, directed by Robert Wise, was released as Cold War fears were at the top of the headlines and was intended as a cautionary tale (decades later, the studio remade the film with Keanu Reeves and an aughts sheen in 2008).
    — THR Staff, HollywoodReporter, 28 Sep. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Premonitory.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/premonitory. Accessed 9 Oct. 2026.

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