ominous
omi·nous
adjective
1.
threatening or foreshadowing evil or tragic developments
- “a baleful look”
- “forbidding thunderclouds”
- “his tone became menacing”
- “ominous rumblings of discontent”
- “sinister storm clouds”
- “a sinister smile”
- “his threatening behavior”
- “ugly black clouds”
- “the situation became ugly”
2.
presaging ill-fortune
- “ill omens”
- “ill predictions”
- “my words with inauspicious thunderings shook heaven” P.B.Shelley
- “a dead and ominous silence prevailed”
- “a by-election at a time highly unpropitious for the Government”
Origin
From Latin ōminōsus (“full of foreboding”), from ōmen (“forbidden fruit, omen”), from Old Latin osmen, of uncertain origin, with many origins proposed (see ōmen).
Related words
Word family
WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved. Wiktionary content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence.