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.
We felt as if we had walked into “2001: A Space Odyssey,” and HAL would say ominously, “I’m sorry Dave. I’m afraid I can’t do that.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 4, 2026
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
A world-cleansing storm has thundered ominously on the horizon ever since “The Bear” began.
From Salon ● Jun. 28, 2026
Signs on either side warn — ominously, given the unforgiving expanse ahead — that once you’ve left, the nearest gas station is not for another 100 miles or so.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 14, 2026
When she got to the Director of Civil Engineering and read out Dad’s name, the crowd buzzed ominously.
From "Tangerine" by Edward Bloor
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.
