Synonyms of sinister

sinister

adjective

ˈsi-nə-stər 

as in ominous

being or showing a sign of evil or calamity to come

the movie relies too much on sinister background music to create the suspense that the plot sorely lacks

Synonyms & Similar Words

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

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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

Synonym Chooser

How is the word sinister different from other adjectives like it?

The words baleful and malign are common synonyms of sinister. While all three words mean "seriously threatening evil or disaster," sinister suggests a general or vague feeling of fear or apprehension on the part of the observer.

a sinister aura haunts the place

When is it sensible to use baleful instead of sinister?

The synonyms baleful and sinister are sometimes interchangeable, but baleful imputes perniciousness or destructiveness to something whether working openly or covertly.

exerting a corrupt and baleful influence

When would malign be a good substitute for sinister?

The words malign and sinister are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, malign applies to what is inherently evil or harmful.

the malign effects of racism

Examples Sentences

Recent Examples of sinister

Hugh Grant is getting big buzz for his portrayal of the sinister man with a plan. —Chris Foran, Journal Sentinel, 6 Nov. 2024

Set against the backdrop of the War of the Roses, The Dreadful follows Anne (Turner) and her sinister mother-in-law Morwen (Harden), who live a solitary, harsh life on the outskirts of society. —Matt Grobar, Deadline, 22 Nov. 2024

Specifically, Bill becomes increasingly aware of young girls being held and abused by the nuns of his convent, led by a sinister mother superior, Sister Mary (played with dark-eyed, cold-hearted terror by Emily Watson). —Harrison Richlin, IndieWire, 5 Nov. 2024

Elliot Page translates vitality and promise as the young teen, while a blood-freezing Catherine Keener is the sinister embodiment of resentment and cruelty. —Declan Gallagher and Chris Bellamy, EW.com, 31 Oct. 2024

Phrases Containing sinister

• bar sinister