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
• dark
• portentous
• foreboding
• murky
• dire
• direful
• lonely
• darkening
• inauspicious
• grey
• unfortunate
• desolate
• minatory
• depressing
• baleful
• black
• depressive
• gray
• ill
• doomy
• ill-boding
• unfavorable
• sombre
• 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
• elegiacal
• 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

Examples of ominous in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Washington — In the final weeks before the 2024 elections, Senate Democrats are facing an ominous map that leaves them with slim hopes of retaining their majority. —Kaia Hubbard, CBS News, 21 Oct. 2024

Firefighters across the state spent Friday battling blazes in Oakland, Jurupa Valley, San Gabriel Canyon and Solano County in an ominous start to a dangerous weekend of hot, gusty winds. —Grace Toohey, Los Angeles Times, 18 Oct. 2024

The flood of misinformation targeting the Biden administration’s response to the destructive storm is an ominous sign for the coming election, with the presidential contest between former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris sure to trigger further attacks on the truth. —Brian Stelter, CNN, 5 Oct. 2024

The film, which starts at 10 p.m., and takes place over the course of the 90 minutes leading up to the very first live show, utilizes an ominous ticking clock to countdown the minutes until showtime. —Katie Walsh, Twin Cities, 4 Oct. 2024

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