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

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of sinister

In that psychological horror movie, Farrow plays a pregnant newlywed who begins to suspect that her Manhattan neighbors have sinister intentions toward her and her baby. —Matthew J. Palm, The Orlando Sentinel, 3 Apr. 2025

While investigating the case of a teenage girl left for dead in the woods, Luminița (34), a small-town police officer, risks being swallowed into a dark, sinister world, where the unlawful meets the occult. —Leo Barraclough, Variety, 8 May 2025

The real-life School of Rock founder’s former students tell a more sinister story By Ezra Marcus Hats Off! Daniel Berulis, a cyber-security expert and employee of the National Labor Relations Board. —Air Mail, 3 May 2025

From playing Lord Henry Blackwood in Sherlock Holmes to Sinestro in Green Lantern, the British actor has a reputation for playing some seriously sinister villains. —Emily Blackwood, People.com, 1 May 2025

Phrases Containing sinister

• bar sinister