ominous

American  

[om-uh-nuhs] / ˈɒm ə nəs /

adjective

1. portending evil or harm; foreboding; threatening; inauspicious.

   an ominous bank of dark clouds.

2. indicating the nature of a future event, for good or evil; having the significance of an omen; being a portent.

   Some of these events were immediately ominous, while others only later revealed themselves as such.

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ominous British  

/ ˈɒmɪnəs /

adjective

1. foreboding evil

2. serving as or having significance as an omen

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Synonym Usage

Ominous, portentous, threatening, menacing, fateful are adjectives describing that which forebodes a serious, significant, and often harmful outcome. Ominous, derived from omen “a predictor of outcomes,” usually suggests evil or damaging eventualities: ominous storm clouds; an ominous silence. Portentous, although it may suggest evil results, often stresses a momentous or very important outcome: a portentous moment in history; a portentous escalation of hostilities. Threatening may suggest calamity or great harm but sometimes mere unpleasantness: a threatening rumble from the volcano; A threatening look from his brother caused him to quickly change the subject. Menacing always suggests serious damage as an outcome: He advanced with a menacing swagger. Fateful most often stresses the great or decisive importance of what it describes: a fateful encounter between two future leaders; a fateful day that changed our world.

Other Word Forms

• ominousness
  noun
• unominousness
  noun
• unominous
  adjective
• ominously
  adverb
• unominously
  adverb

Etymology

Origin of ominous

First recorded in 1580–90; from Latin ōminōsus “portentous,” equivalent to ōmin- (stem of ōmen ) + -ōsus; see origin at omen, -ous

Explanation

If something looks or sounds ominous, be careful: a threat or an unpleasant event is at hand. If you see an ominous frown on your boss's face, you're in trouble! Ominous, and the related word omen both come from the 16th century Latin word ōmen "foreboding." However, unlike omen, which is a sign of something good or bad to come, ominous always describes something unpleasant or threatening. If the future looks ominous, you've got nothing to look forward to. Figuratively, an ominous sky or ominous clouds promise rain or a storm.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

ominous

The song has been covered by many artists including The White Stripes, Miley Cyrus and Beyoncé, who changed up to the lyrics to the more ominous: "I'm warning you, don't come for my man."

From BBC ● Aug. 25, 2026

There is overlap between “9/11 Reunited” and “102 Minutes,” with its ominous on-screen timeline.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 20, 2026

An international cast fueled a show that featured people gifted with superpowers around the world that had a mysteriously ominous connection.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 17, 2026

This isn’t the only thing going on this summer that gives me that ominous fin de siècle feeling.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 12, 2026

It stands in ominous desertion, as though there’s a minefield around it.

From "Water for Elephants" by Sara Gruen

Related Words

• apocalyptic
• dangerous
• dark
• dire
• dismal
• gloomy
• grim
• haunting
• perilous
• portentous
• prophetic
• sinister
• threatening