ominous

adjective

om·​i·​nous ˈä-mə-nəs How to pronounce ominous (audio)
: being or exhibiting an omen : portentous
especially : foreboding or foreshadowing evil : inauspicious
ominously adverb
ominousness noun

Did you know?

Ominous didn't always mean that something bad was about to happen. If you look closely, you can see the omen in ominous, which gave it the original meaning of "being a sign of events to come"—whether good or bad. It ultimately comes from the Latin word omen, which is both an ancestor and a synonym of our omen. Today, however, ominous suggests a menacing or threatening aspect. Its synonyms portentous and fateful are used similarly, but ominous is the most menacing of the three. It implies an alarming quality that foreshadows evil or disaster. So when something wicked this way comes, count on ominous to deliver the news aforehand.

Choose the Right Synonym for ominous

ominous, portentous, fateful mean having a menacing or threatening aspect.

ominous implies having a menacing, alarming character foreshadowing evil or disaster.

ominous rumblings from the volcano

portentous suggests being frighteningly big or impressive but now seldom definitely connotes forewarning of calamity.

an eerie and portentous stillness

fateful suggests being of momentous or decisive importance.

the fateful conference that led to war

Examples of ominous in a Sentence

Not many sets of initials became universally recognizable during the twentieth century, and those that did often had ominous overtones, from SS to KGB. Geoffrey Wheatcroft, Atlantic, March 2001
While politicians and multinational corporations extol the virtues of NAFTA … the ominous curtain is already up in a six-mile section at the border crossing at Mexicali … Leslie Marmon Silko, Yellow Woman and a Beauty of the Spirit, 1996
Fighting against sensations that sought to claim him, he moved nervously and the note in his hand rattled with a dry and ominous whisper. Richard Wright, Rite of Passage, 1994
Arranged in two long and ominous rows, the branding irons dangled from the ceiling in the center of the room, suggesting some sort of fence or jail … Lewis H. Lapham, Harper's, May 1993
an ominous threat of war He spoke in ominous tones.
Recent Examples on the Web Many Israelis spend their evenings at home fretting about that ominous knock on the door. Yair Rosenberg, The Atlantic, 15 Mar. 2024 Various stops along the way range from ominous (a rural gas station that doubles as a prisoner-of-war torture chamber) to heartening (a Hooverville-type enclave where folks try to forge a semblance of a community). David Fear, Rolling Stone, 15 Mar. 2024 See all Example Sentences for ominous 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'ominous.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

see omen

First Known Use

1580, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of ominous was in 1580

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Dictionary Entries Near ominous

Cite this Entry

“Ominous.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ominous. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

ominous

adjective
om·​i·​nous ˈäm-ə-nəs How to pronounce ominous (audio)
: being or showing a sign of evil or misfortune to come
ominous clouds
ominously adverb

More from Merriam-Webster on ominous

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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