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.
Manchester City are in that ominously familiar position of coming from behind to wrestle control away from those in front of them, with Arsenal and Arteta feeling hot breath on their shoulders.
From BBC • Apr. 19, 2026
The days, which tick off ominously, will be filled with dread and macabre in-laws; it’s hard to say what’s worse.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 26, 2026
More ominously, the 50-week simple moving average is now beginning to slope lower for the first time since early 2023.
From Barron's • Feb. 3, 2026
The investment giant, which is owned by its 50 million investors, warns that U.S. stock-market returns may be ominously low over the next 10 years.
From MarketWatch • Dec. 3, 2025
“I hope you’ve got a tin opener,” Queenie said ominously, struggling into her own greatcoat.
From "Code Name Verity" by Elizabeth Wein
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.
