as in sinister
being or showing a sign of evil or calamity to come
that comment about downsizing from the company president sounded ominous
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of ominous
Ideally, some of those over-the-top speeches are going to go viral and shouldn’t be rushed offstage with an ominous ticking clock— threatening to withdraw a charitable donation is going to dampen the enthusiasm somewhat.
—
Dani Di Placido, Forbes.com, 15 Sep. 2025
On the other, America is more vulnerable to spectacular, devastating acts of mass violence than any of its peers, and the ominous threat of politically motivated violence is highly disturbing.
—John J. Donohue, Time, 15 Sep. 2025
The Andante cantabile offers benevolence tinged with shadow, its harmonies turning suddenly ominous.
—Sheila Regan, Twin Cities, 13 Sep. 2025
As the swells grew and the troughs sunk deeper, an ominous feeling settled upon us.
—Martin Suarez, Rolling Stone, 13 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for ominous
Dani Di Placido, Forbes.com, 15 Sep. 2025
On the other, America is more vulnerable to spectacular, devastating acts of mass violence than any of its peers, and the ominous threat of politically motivated violence is highly disturbing.
—John J. Donohue, Time, 15 Sep. 2025
The Andante cantabile offers benevolence tinged with shadow, its harmonies turning suddenly ominous.
—Sheila Regan, Twin Cities, 13 Sep. 2025
As the swells grew and the troughs sunk deeper, an ominous feeling settled upon us.
—Martin Suarez, Rolling Stone, 13 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for ominous
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ominous
Adjective
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Football season has arrived, and so has a new horror movie produced by Jordan Peele that delves into the sinister side of the game.—
Neda Ulaby,
NPR,
19 Sep. 2025
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Amelia Gray Hamlin Amelia Gray Hamlin partnered her black lace get-up with a sinister makeup look involving misty gray shadow.—
Kaleigh Werner,
Footwear News,
19 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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For instance, instead of the menacing roars popularized by Jurassic Park, the instruments often produce gentler conversation sounds, suggesting a social, communicative side to these animals.—
Rupendra Brahambhatt,
Interesting Engineering,
14 Sep. 2025
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From there, the story is too exciting to reveal, except to say that someone presumed dead makes a menacing appearance.—
Mary Ann Grossmann,
Twin Cities,
14 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Not all of Mythopedia is so bleak—just my favorite parts.—
Dan Piepenbring,
Harpers Magazine,
19 Sep. 2025
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When kittens Sam and Frodo were found, survival odds were bleak.—
Teri Figueroa,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
18 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Ominous.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ominous. Accessed 21 Sep. 2025.
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