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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Recent Examples of ominous
Berlin Film Festival Jury President Todd Haynes recently opened the annual celebration Thursday, February 13 with an ominous warning about the current Trump administration.
—
Harrison Richlin, IndieWire, 13 Feb. 2025
There’s the ominous sense that the monkeys lurking around the resort might just be the same ones wielding swords in the frescoes.
—Amanda Whiting, Vulture, 16 Feb. 2025
Those recall notices referred to a permanent solution without specifying what that might be—something that could be read as ominous or hopeful.
—Eric Bangeman, Ars Technica, 14 Feb. 2025
In the last few minutes of an eerie, unsettling, and increasingly ominous Episode 4, two shocking developments roll out one right after the other.
—Ben Travers, IndieWire, 7 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for ominous
Harrison Richlin, IndieWire, 13 Feb. 2025
There’s the ominous sense that the monkeys lurking around the resort might just be the same ones wielding swords in the frescoes.
—Amanda Whiting, Vulture, 16 Feb. 2025
Those recall notices referred to a permanent solution without specifying what that might be—something that could be read as ominous or hopeful.
—Eric Bangeman, Ars Technica, 14 Feb. 2025
In the last few minutes of an eerie, unsettling, and increasingly ominous Episode 4, two shocking developments roll out one right after the other.
—Ben Travers, IndieWire, 7 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for ominous
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ominous
Adjective
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Deepfakes first attracted attention for its use in making fake celebrity pornographic films, but their uses have subsequently evolved to more sinister reasons.—
Rohan Pinto,
Forbes,
27 Feb. 2025
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Columbia Pictures When Bobbie also suddenly transforms, Joanna discovers that her best friend has been replaced by a robot—along with all the other wives—and realizes the sinister forces at work in Stepford are coming for her next.—
Ars Technica,
Ars Technica,
23 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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Prosecutors, witnesses and judges who were part of Jan. 6 criminal cases were subjected to frequent harassment, menacing and threats, according to testimony and statements made during criminal proceedings in the riot cases.—
Scott MacFarlane,
CBS News,
2 Mar. 2025
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Unleashing Elon Musk and his DOGE cadres on the federal government, menacing Canada and European allies, and embracing Vladimir Putin’s wish list for Ukraine and beyond are not unrelated.—
Garry Kasparov,
The Atlantic,
28 Feb. 2025
Adjective
-
Even the relatively staid premiere stole a handful of grim chuckles thanks to its guest star’s exceedingly blasé delivery of impossibly bleak news.—
Ben Travers,
IndieWire,
9 Mar. 2025
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Yet if Mickey’s life is suffocatingly bleak, Mickey 17 is anything but.—
Shirley Li,
The Atlantic,
7 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Ominous.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ominous. Accessed 13 Mar. 2025.
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