ominous

adjective

om·​i·​nous ˈä-mə-nəs 

: 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.

Synonyms

• baleful
• dire
• direful
• doomy
• foreboding
• ill
• ill-boding
• inauspicious
• menacing
• minatory
• portentous
• sinister
• threatening

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

That’s an ominous sign for higher education leaders, who now must prepare to address a slow, continuing slide in high-school seniors, who make up the bulk of their entering students every year. —Michael T. Nietzel, Forbes, 11 Dec. 2024

Rolling with the sound of Slo-Be Bryant 3, one of the great West Coast tapes of the 2020s, Slo-Be’s steely, ominous murmurs give his sentimental gangster rap the air of sorcery. —Alphonse Pierre, Pitchfork, 9 Dec. 2024

Join a group of sorority sisters who, after receiving an ominous phone call consisting of disturbing voices and guttural animal sounds the night of their Christmas party, begin to disappear one by one. —Brooke Knisley, Vulture, 6 Dec. 2024

But there's been talk of threats and ominous etchings on shell casings. —Daniel De Visé, USA TODAY, 5 Dec. 2024

Word History

Etymology

see omen

First Known Use

1580, in the meaning defined above

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Kids Definition

ominous

adjective

om·​i·​nous ˈäm-ə-nəs 

: being or showing a sign of evil or misfortune to come

ominous clouds

ominously adverb