sinister

[sin-uh-ster]

adjective

1. threatening or portending evil, harm, or trouble; ominous.

   a sinister remark.

   Synonyms: portentous, inauspicious
   Antonyms: benign

2. bad, evil, base, or wicked; fell.

   his sinister purposes.

3. unfortunate; disastrous; unfavorable.

   a sinister accident.

   Synonyms: unlucky
   Antonyms: favorable

4. of or on the left side; left.

5. Heraldry.,  noting the side of an escutcheon or achievement of arms that is to the left of the bearer (dexter ).

sinister

/ ˈsɪnɪstə /

adjective

1. threatening or suggesting evil or harm; ominous

   a sinister glance

2. evil or treacherous, esp in a mysterious way

3. (usually postpositive) heraldry of, on, or starting from the left side from the bearer's point of view and therefore on the spectator's right

4. archaic,  located on the left side

5. archaic,  (of signs, omens, etc) unfavourable

Other Word Forms

• sinisterly adverb
• sinisterness noun
• unsinister adjective
• unsinisterly adverb
• unsinisterness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of sinister¹

First recorded in 1375–1425; late Middle English, from Latin: “on the left hand or side,” hence, “unfavorable, injurious”

Word History and Origins

Origin of sinister¹

C15: from Latin sinister on the left-hand side, considered by Roman augurs to be the unlucky one

Example Sentences

The sinister figure lurking in the drama is Bernard Faÿ, a French writer and enthusiast of things American, whom Stein and Toklas had befriended in Paris.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

He saw himself as a crusader, a champion of the underdog, an enemy of sinister authority.

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I mean, it’s really hard to—there is no point at which Pat Buchanan has held a press conference and said, “I really don’t like the Jews. I think they’re a sinister force in America.”

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This year, one of Ireland's most haunting creations has been prowling the streets as the sinister she wolf is brought to life for the festival.

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"It is a resort, a place of play, but it does actually have its own sinister architectural character."

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Related Words

• dire 
• evil 
• malevolent 
• mischievous 
• ominous 
• perverse 
• threatening