ominous

[ om-uh-nuhs ]

adjective

1. portending evil or harm; foreboding; threatening; inauspicious:

   an ominous bank of dark clouds.

2. indicating the nature of a future event, for good or evil; having the significance of an omen; being a portent:

   Some of these events were immediately ominous, while others only later revealed themselves as such.

ominous

/ ˈɒmɪnəs /

adjective

1. foreboding evil
2. serving as or having significance as an omen

Derived Forms

• ˈominousness, noun
• ˈominously, adverb

Other Words From

• omi·nous·ly adverb
• omi·nous·ness noun
• un·omi·nous adjective
• un·omi·nous·ly adverb
• un·omi·nous·ness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of ominous¹

First recorded in 1580–90; from Latin ōminōsus “portentous,” equivalent to ōmin- (stem of ōmen ) + -ōsus; omen, -ous

Word History and Origins

Origin of ominous¹

C16: from Latin ōminōsus, from omen

Synonym Study

Ominous, portentous, threatening, menacing, fateful are adjectives describing that which forebodes a serious, significant, and often harmful outcome. Ominous, derived from omen “a predictor of outcomes,” usually suggests evil or damaging eventualities: ominous storm clouds; an ominous silence. Portentous, although it may suggest evil results, often stresses a momentous or very important outcome: a portentous moment in history; a portentous escalation of hostilities. Threatening may suggest calamity or great harm but sometimes mere unpleasantness: a threatening rumble from the volcano; A threatening look from his brother caused him to quickly change the subject. Menacing always suggests serious damage as an outcome: He advanced with a menacing swagger. Fateful most often stresses the great or decisive importance of what it describes: a fateful encounter between two future leaders; a fateful day that changed our world.

Example Sentences

This turned out to be an ominous warning.

From Salon

This is not the first time scientists have looked for a technological fix for a threat that, although incredibly rare, still plays in a loop — like the ominous theme from “Jaws” — in the back of many oceangoers’ minds.

From Los Angeles Times

Hotter, longer drought conditions mean that instead of smelling pleasantly damp, rotting leaves on the forest floor, we get the ominous smell of dry, dusty ones.

From Slate

His backflip is yet another ominous confirmation that we should expect Trump’s next round of judges to not show even a glimmer of independence: They will be selected for their loyalty to the president’s agenda and spend the next four years auditioning accordingly.

From Slate

That would not be optimal for any team, but it could be particularly ominous for a last-place team coming off the worst record in franchise history.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• apocalyptic
• dangerous
• dark
• dire
• dismal
• gloomy
• grim
• haunting
• perilous
• portentous
• prophetic
• sinister
• threatening