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 Word Forms

• 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 sneering resistance to the judiciary’s intervention was both entirely predictable and profoundly ominous.

From Salon

In doing so, he delivered an ominous warning that he simply cannot be discounted when the World Championship begins on 19 April.

From BBC

The upshot is that Musk's threats to spend millions to punish rogue Republicans in primaries and Democrats in the general may not be quite as ominous as previously thought.

From Salon

The US president has paid close attention to cultivating his image, and made headlines in January by unveiling an official portrait that was variously described by critics as serious or ominous.

From BBC

But the soundtrack is also its own evocative work of intoxicating techno-brood, one that could be piped from your car speakers to readily turn any routine neighborhood errand into a suddenly ominous excursion.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

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