✨📕 The NEWThe NEW Collegiate Dictionary, 12th Edition Over 5,000 words added — Buy Now! Collegiate Dictionary — Buy Now!

sinistrous

adjective

si·​nis·​trous ˈsi-nə-strəs How to pronounce sinistrous (audio)
sə-ˈni-
archaic
: sinister

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1550, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of sinistrous was circa 1550

Browse Nearby Words

sinistrorse
sinistrous
Sinitic
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Sinistrous.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sinistrous. Accessed 4 Dec. 2025.

Copy Citation

Share

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

'Buck Naked' or 'Butt Naked'?

31 Useful Rhetorical Devices

The Difference Between 'i.e.' and 'e.g.'

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

What’s the difference between ‘cemetery’ and ‘graveyard’?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

More Words with Remarkable Origins

The Words of the Week - Nov. 28

17 Words for Dog Breeds

Ten More Words from Taylor Swift Songs

How 'Namaste' Entered The English Language
See More

Popular

See More

'Buck Naked' or 'Butt Naked'?

More Words with Remarkable Origins

The Words of the Week - Nov. 28
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
petit-fours
Name That Dessert! Hope you’ve saved room for some sweet vocabulary.
See All