Difference between imminent and upcoming
I found an article that mentions "imminent", a new vocabulary for me. I check it on oxford dictionary and found out the definition: about to happen, which I found has a same meaning with "upcoming" as a non-native speaker. I'm more familiar with the word "upcoming" than "imminent". In that article it mentions "imminent decline".

Is there any difference between this two adjective?

Thank you

Question

Difference between imminent and upcoming
I found an article that mentions "imminent", a new vocabulary for me. I check it on oxford dictionary and found out the definition: about to happen, which I found has a same meaning with "upcoming" as a non-native speaker. I'm more familiar with the word "upcoming" than "imminent". In that article it mentions "imminent decline".

Is there any difference between this two adjective?

Thank you

Answer

There is definitely a difference. The word "upcoming" suggests a scheduled happening. The word "imminent" may refer to an unavoidable event coming in the uncertain future. Sometimes "imminent" is associated with forecasts of doom, like the "imminent collapse of Western civilization".

Answer

Imminent has a similar meaning to upcoming, but it's more pressing and immediate. For example: "They were in imminent danger of being swept away". The imminent decline that they're talking about is something that is going to happen very soon.