as in ominous
being or showing a sign of evil or calamity to come
the novel's protagonist is haunted by a minatory black specter
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Recent Examples of minatory
Among the richest of the novel’s many pleasures are just such minor characters, including some irresistibly vain and grasping thespians and the minatory Appleby brothers, talent agents of sorts who shamelessly throw their considerable weight around.
—
Daniel Akst, WSJ, 15 Jan. 2021
Daniel Akst, WSJ, 15 Jan. 2021
Recent Examples of Synonyms for minatory
Adjective
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Episodes are bound together by banal introductory voiceover, in which our narrator recites ominous clichés that, like everything in His & Hers, border on parody.—
Daniel Fienberg,
HollywoodReporter,
8 Jan. 2026
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More ominous still is the thought of the FanDuel mentality extending into other areas of American life.—
Rand Richards Cooper,
Hartford Courant,
8 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Even his smile is sinister in the English actor’s current reign of cinematic terror.—
Brian Truitt,
USA Today,
14 Jan. 2026
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This is not the gleeful dance party of purgatory—there is a more sinister and sincere quality to it.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
14 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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If the sky becomes menacing and thunder becomes audible, seek out a safe place to seek shelter.—
CA Weather Bot,
Sacbee.com,
5 Jan. 2026
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Look to the upper region of the lunar crescent to find the menacing form of the Aristotles crater with its eastern rim bathed in impenetrable shadow.—
Anthony Wood,
Space.com,
26 Dec. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Minatory.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/minatory. Accessed 18 Jan. 2026.
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