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
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Recent Examples of sinister
The pic, from director Marcel Walz and Anathema LLC, follows what happens when a carefree night of partying takes a sinister turn when a group of friends stumble upon an ancient curse and are forced to survive until dawn as a malevolent force begins hunting them.
—
Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 23 Oct. 2025
His 2024 mixtape Underworld imagines what that would be like by morphing the sinister choir-drill popularized by guys like Ot7Quanny and Hood Tali P into full-on theatrical horrorcore.
—Alphonse Pierre, Pitchfork, 23 Oct. 2025
Almost immediately, the boy realizes something gravely sinister is amiss.
—Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 22 Oct. 2025
Kinahan was in fact well known to duBoef, who apparently enjoyed the Irishman’s sinister reputation.
—Ed Caesar, New Yorker, 20 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for sinister
Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 23 Oct. 2025
His 2024 mixtape Underworld imagines what that would be like by morphing the sinister choir-drill popularized by guys like Ot7Quanny and Hood Tali P into full-on theatrical horrorcore.
—Alphonse Pierre, Pitchfork, 23 Oct. 2025
Almost immediately, the boy realizes something gravely sinister is amiss.
—Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 22 Oct. 2025
Kinahan was in fact well known to duBoef, who apparently enjoyed the Irishman’s sinister reputation.
—Ed Caesar, New Yorker, 20 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for sinister
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sinister
Adjective
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Though conventional in its concept (family moves into house, spirits possess family, paranormal investigators exorcize spirits), the movie's significance comes from its execution, which electrified audiences with ominous clapping hands and expert control of tension.—
Michael Lee Simpson,
Entertainment Weekly,
29 Oct. 2025
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Unwisely agreeing to go for a spin, Tony finds they’re soon tailed by an ominous black SUV.—
Dennis Harvey,
Variety,
28 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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But the action scenes never seem to galvanize, and somewhere along the line the predator, once a ruthless, unstoppable killing machine, has simply lost its menacing mojo.—
Damon Wise,
Deadline,
4 Nov. 2025
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Fanning knows exactly to add a slightly Pollyanna-ish aura to her opportunistic yet optimistic synthetic, as well as a cold, menacing vibe when playing her evil synth twin.—
David Fear,
Rolling Stone,
4 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Sinister.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sinister. Accessed 6 Nov. 2025.
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