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I kept searching for an English word whose definition I remember, but not the specific term. I have searched but cannot not find it. This is the definition:

an event, usually an unpleasant one, that might or might not happen in the future

Could you give me some hints?

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  • Please, correct the spelling of "unplesant" in your title. Come to think of it, that is how the word ought to be spelled/spelt, but I find the misspelling, unpleAsant to read :)
    – Mari-Lou A
    Dec 26, 2013 at 6:13

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How about the word 'contingency'. Here's the second of two senses listed on Merriam-Webster's online dictionary:

a.) An event (as an emergency) that may, but is not certain to occur

b.) Something liable to happen as an adjunct to or a result of something else

To be honest, I'm not familiar with sub-sense 'b', and while M-W seems to specify possible (but not certain) emergencies, I've found myself using 'contingency' to refer to minor hiccups and set-backs.

Also, note that 'contingency' also refers to provisions made to address such (possible but not certain) events. Strangely, that sense is not mentioned on M-W, but is listed in the Oxford Dictionary (10th edition; page 307).

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Presentiment An intuitive feeling about the future, esp. one of foreboding And An emotional response that can only be described as precognitive, such as a feeling of dread before an impending disaster.

Words with similar meanings: boding, foreboding, premonition, presage
TFD

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  • Wow, these are excellent suggestions. I hadn't even thought of these. A very comprehensive answer. Dec 25, 2013 at 18:46

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