Definition: Bad or unpleasant, and happening soon. (Merriam-Webster online)
Sample usage: "The purple sky has the ominent look of a storm with hail the size of Spam cans."
Popularity: It's too vague to catch on, and it's more fun to say "ominous and imminent" or "imminently ominous." Ominent sounds like some Zen medical salve. "Hey, your consciousness looks scraped; better put some Ominent on that."
JAMES LILEKS
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