Eminent vs Imminent: Which One Do You Need?
Eminent means distinguished. Imminent means about to happen.
An eminent historian. An imminent announcement.
The test that settles it
Ask whether you are describing a person’s standing or an event’s timing. Reputation is eminent; timing is imminent.
“an ___ surgeon” → distinguished, so eminent.
“___ collapse” → about to happen, so imminent.
Eminent: distinguished
Highly regarded in a field. It nearly always describes people, and it is a compliment.
An eminent professor of law.
She is eminent in her field.
The panel included several eminent figures.
Swap in distinguished. If it works, eminent.
Imminent: about to happen
Very close in time, and usually said of something unwelcome — danger, collapse, a storm.
A storm is imminent.
The company faces imminent closure.
There is no imminent threat.
Swap in impending. If it works, imminent.
Side by side
| Eminent | Imminent |
|---|---|
| Distinguished | About to happen |
| Describes people | Describes events |
| A compliment | Usually a warning |
| An eminent scholar | An imminent deadline |
The exceptions
Immanent, with an a, means existing throughout something — a term from philosophy and theology, as in an immanent presence.
It is rare, and outside those fields it is almost always a misspelling of one of the other two.
The legal power of a state to take private property uses the distinguished word, in its older sense of superior authority.
Where people get it wrong
| Incorrect | Correct | Why |
|---|---|---|
| an imminent scientist | an eminent scientist | Distinguished. |
| Danger is eminent. | Danger is imminent. | About to happen. |
| immanent arrival | imminent arrival | Timing. |
| iminent | imminent | Two m. |
Practice — choose the right word, then check yourself.
- The forecast warns of ___ flooding.
- She is an ___ authority on the period.
- His retirement is ___.
- An ___ panel reviewed the case.
- They saw no ___ risk.
Show the answers
1. imminent 2. eminent 3. imminent 4. eminent 5. imminent
Frequently asked
Can a person be imminent?
Only in the sense that their arrival is: her arrival is imminent, not she is imminent.
Which is the common slip?
Writing eminent danger for imminent danger. The two are near-homophones in fast speech.
More words people confuse
