What does premonished mean?
Premonished is the past tense and past participle of premonish, a literary verb meaning to intuit or foreshadow an event before it happens. It describes a present feeling that something is about to occur, often without an identifiable reason, and it commonly suggests that the writer or speaker has an intuitive sense of coming danger or change. The word can also be used figuratively: a sound, silence, or other feature of a scene may premonish what is to come. Although “foreshadowed” can convey a similar idea, it is usually associated with visible evidence or signs, whereas “premonished” more often emphasizes an inward, instinctive apprehension. The form is not normally used in casual conversation, but it remains idiomatic in literary writing, especially when suspense or foreboding is being created.
verbPast tense and past participle of premonish: to have a feeling or intuition that something will happen before it actually occurs.
- To feel or know in advance that a particular event will occur, especially through intuition rather than evidence or deduction.
"The sudden silence premonished the arrival of the storm."
"Her uneasy feeling premonished a family crisis."
"The low clouds premonished the approaching storm."
A premonition can make the future feel familiar before it has actually arrived.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does premonished come from?
The word comes from Latin praemonēre, formed from prae- (“before”) and monēre (“to warn or advise”), meaning “to warn in advance.” English developed premonish in the 17th century, with premonition, premonitor, and premonitory continuing the same Latin root. The modern past form premonished reflects the regular English pronunciation of the suffix -ish.
Related word forms
How premonished is actually used
This form is literary and relatively uncommon in everyday speech. It is especially associated with premonitions involving danger, tragedy, or some other significant event.
Easily confused with premonished
To premonish something is to intuit it before it happens, whereas to promise something is to give a commitment that it will be provided or done.
To premonish is to foreshadow an event intuitively, while to punish is to impose a penalty for wrongdoing.