Synonyms of ominous

ominous

adjective

ˈä-mə-nəs 

as in sinister

being or showing a sign of evil or calamity to come

that comment about downsizing from the company president sounded ominous

Synonyms & Similar Words

• sinister
• menacing
• bleak
• threatening
• somber
• darkening
• dark
• portentous
• foreboding
• murky
• dire
• direful
• lonely
• inauspicious
• unfortunate
• desolate
• minatory
• depressing
• baleful
• black
• depressive
• gray
• ill
• doomy
• ill-boding
• unfavorable
• morbid
• cold
• dim
• gloomy
• lugubrious
• dismal
• cheerless
• sullen
• lonesome
• elegiac
• morose
• saturnine
• dreary
• sepulchral
• discouraging
• troubled
• glum
• funereal
• forlorn
• unpropitious
• unpromising
• disconsolate
• cloudy
• drear
• chill
• comfortless
• hopeless
• miserable
• evil
• disheartening
• tenebrous
• malignant
• dreich
• godforsaken
• wretched
• unlucky
• plutonian
• Cimmerian
• malign
• tenebrific
• sunless
• ill-fated
• ill-starred
• star-crossed

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• favorable
• bright
• promising
• benign
• golden
• hopeful
• encouraging
• prosperous
• unthreatening
• auspicious
• propitious
• heartening

Synonym Chooser

How does the adjective ominous differ from other similar words?

The words fateful and portentous are common synonyms of ominous. While all three words mean "having a menacing or threatening aspect," ominous implies having a menacing, alarming character foreshadowing evil or disaster.

ominous rumblings from the volcano

Where would fateful be a reasonable alternative to ominous?

The words fateful and ominous can be used in similar contexts, but fateful suggests being of momentous or decisive importance.

the fateful conference that led to war

When can portentous be used instead of ominous?

Although the words portentous and ominous have much in common, portentous suggests being frighteningly big or impressive but now seldom definitely connotes forewarning of calamity.

an eerie and portentous stillness

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of ominous

Dune’s author didn’t necessarily intend the Butlerian Jihad to be an ominous warning. —Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 19 Mar. 2026

Director Genki Kawamura’s ominous feature might well be the ultimate headtrip, and we’re intrigued. —Randy Myers, Mercury News, 18 Mar. 2026

If the sky turns ominous and thunder can be heard, find a secure place for shelter. —Nc Weather Bot, Charlotte Observer, 17 Mar. 2026

Since Caesar's assassination, the Ides of March has been associated with other misfortune and doom, with several other ominous events taking place on March 15 throughout history. —Kate Perez, USA Today, 15 Mar. 2026

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