ominously
Americanadverb
Explanation
Ominously is a word to describe how something threatening appears. If you're golfing and dark gray clouds ominously appear, you'd better call it a day. Originating from the Latin word ominosus, meaning "full of foreboding," the adverb ominously indicates when an action is done in an ominous manner, possibly indicating danger or evil is in the future. You might want to reconsider that moonlit hike if a wolf ominously howls just as you are about to begin. If gigantic waves are ominously crashing into the shore, it would be wise to devote the day to building a sand castle rather than snorkeling.
Vocabulary lists containing ominously
Of Mice and Men
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Tangerine
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Harry Potter and the Cursed Child
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Even more ominously, the low in implied correlation in 2024 occurred on July 3, the same day USD/JPY peaked.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 14, 2026
Rather ominously, in her news conference, Australia captain Sophie Molineux said her side has not "reached any ceiling".
From BBC ● Jul. 5, 2026
A world-cleansing storm has thundered ominously on the horizon ever since “The Bear” began.
From Salon ● Jun. 28, 2026
The backroom that Goth Yoga LA calls home is all black paint, purple lights and sage-y smells; music growls ominously from the speaker system above.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 27, 2026
Throughout Europe, industrial capitalism, coupled with military force on a frightening scale, loomed ominously.
From "The Story of Music" by Howard Goodall
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
