Imminent v. Eminent v. Immanent (Jillian Torrassa) Leave a reply .comments-link .entry-header “Imminent / Eminent / Immanent” by Jillian Torrassa This may not be a problem you encounter often, but I think it’s helpful to know. These words are not interchangeable, and I don’t think that’s something I really understood until recently. So, if you learn the differences now, you’ll be leaps and bounds ahead of where I was at your age! Eminent = prominent or famous (most common) Examples: 1 Eminent Domain is the government using its prominent position in society as an excuse to take private land. 2 When Bill Gates had a banquet for all the tech innovators of America, there were many eminent businessmen in attendance. “Who Doesn’t Love Pop Rocks?” (Illustration: Tony Jackson) Imminent = immediately threatening, coming soon Examples: 1 The storm on the horizon was imminent. 2 My big break was just around the corner; I could feel its imminence. 3 If you put pop rocks in your cat’s litter box, a bad situation is imminent. Immanent = inherent, present through the universe (God or something immaterial), exists within, intrinsic (least common) Examples: 1 God’s power is immanent in our lives. 2 Hunger is an immanent part of human existence. Unless you’re eating all the time. Then I guess it’s not. Here are a few  TRICKS that might help you remember the differences: Immanent – God created man in His own image—spirituality or other intangible things (usually, though not always). You probably won’t need to use this one much though, so just focus on learning the difference between the other two. Imminent – Immediate or “It’s going to happen in a minute.”  “Let’s Get Down to Business.” (Illustration: Tony Jackson) Eminent – Eminem is arguably the most famous/prominent rapper in the world. Maybe this isn’t something you’ll ever need to know (in a practical sense), but it will broaden your understanding of the English language if you learn the differences anyway. So there you go. Go forth in English Eminence and prepare for your imminent success in the English-speaking world. JT