ominous

adjective om·i·nous \ ˈä-mə-nəs \

|Updated on: 10 Jun 2018

Tip: Synonym Guide

Examples: ominous in a Sentence

Editor's Note: The Difference Between ominous, portentous, and fateful

Definition of ominous

: being or exhibiting an omen : portentous; especially : foreboding or foreshadowing evil : inauspicious

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ominously

adverb

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ominousness

noun

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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 of ominous from the Web

Anthony Garcia's shopping list -- from the ordinary to the ominous.

— CBS News, "Was revenge the motive behind Omaha stabbing deaths?," 2 June 2018
While these clouds may look ominous, these clouds have been low to the ground.

— CNN, "Hawaii volcano creating its own weather," 1 June 2018
Tensions intensified this week when reports showed executives agonizing over how to downplay the ominous-sounding AI aspects of the contract in the media.

— erin griffith, WIRED, "Google Won't Renew Controversial Pentagon AI Project," 1 June 2018
The story feels heavy on explanation, ominous but without much sense of forward momentum, and potentially hard for readers to follow.

— sarah stone, San Francisco Chronicle, "‘Varina,’ by Charles Frazier," 31 May 2018
The revelations of the Obama era political targeting grow more ominous by the day.

— Fox News, "Conway on Trump's pro-life agenda, North Korea and trade," 23 May 2018
The visual remains fairly dark and ominous, but Musgraves is joyous in love in the lighthearted tune.

— abby jones, Billboard, "Kacey Musgraves Soars With Newfound Love in 'Butterflies' Video: Watch," 4 May 2018
But to some key players in the home financing arena, the savings look ominous — potentially risky for taxpayers and financially nightmarish for the professionals who provide the service being eliminated.

— kenneth r. harney, miamiherald, "Appraisal-free loans save millions for buyers | Miami Herald," 2 May 2018
From the outside, the main building of this Jackson, Wyoming hotel looks slightly ominous.

— cnt editors, Condé Nast Traveler, "Best New Hotels in the World," 1 May 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'ominous.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

The Difference Between ominous, portentous, and fateful

Ominous didn't always mean "foreshadowing evil." If you look closely, you can see the "omen" in "ominous," which gave it the original meaning of "presaging events to come" - whether good or bad. It is ultimately derived from the Latin word omen, which is both an ancestor and a synonym of our "omen." Today, however, "ominous" tends to suggest 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 character that foreshadows evil or disaster. "Portentous" suggests being frighteningly big or impressive, but seldom gives a definite forewarning of calamity. "Fateful" implies that something is of momentous or decisive importance.

Origin and Etymology of ominous

see omen

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1580

in the meaning defined above

See Words from the same year

ominous Synonyms

Synonym Discussion of ominous

ominous, portentous, fateful mean having a menacing or threatening aspect. ominous implies having a menacing, alarming character foreshadowing evil or disaster.