sinister
threatening or portending evil, harm, or trouble; ominous: a sinister remark.
bad, evil, base, or wicked; fell: his sinister purposes.
unfortunate; disastrous; unfavorable: a sinister accident.
of or on the left side; left.
Heraldry. noting the side of an escutcheon or achievement of arms that is to the left of the bearer (opposed to dexter).
Origin of sinister
1Other words for sinister
Opposites for sinister
Other words from sinister
- sin·is·ter·ly, adverb
- sin·is·ter·ness, noun
- un·sin·is·ter, adjective
- un·sin·is·ter·ly, adverb
- un·sin·is·ter·ness, noun
Words Nearby sinister
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use sinister in a sentence
We’ve seen the pandemic, the campaign and now, as you and I speak in the aftermath of the election, we’ve seen very clearly how the sinister role of propaganda has affected our national discourse.
Dan Rather: Propaganda and injustice are a ‘very potent, toxic mix’ | Joe Heim | November 23, 2020 | Washington PostThe game’s biggest draw was a storyline which unfolded over multiple play sessions, with diseases mutating and cities falling into chaos as a sinister conspiracy spread its tendrils across the world.
One hell of a send-off: Pandemic Legacy: Season 0 wraps a stylish board game series | Ars Staff | November 21, 2020 | Ars TechnicaSome characters buy the gadgets out of simple curiosity or a desire for companionship, while others use the technology for more sinister ends.
Then, when the host plant flowers, so does the dodder, setting the stage for the sinister cycle to begin again.
This parasitic plant eavesdrops on its host to know when to flower | Jonathan Lambert | September 4, 2020 | Science NewsThere are plenty of reasons why duopolies exist, and they’re not necessarily all sinister.
America’s Hidden Duopoly (Ep. 356 Rebroadcast) | Stephen J. Dubner | September 3, 2020 | Freakonomics
Some have innocuous-seeming URLs like cardpool.com or giftcardgranny.com, which cloak the sinister operations.
The Insane $11 Billion Scam at Retailers’ Return Desks | M.L. Nestel | December 19, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST“i wanted to talk to him about sinister and jobs,” wrote Pascal.
Exclusive: Sony Emails Slam Leonardo DiCaprio, Willow and Jaden Smith, Gush Over Ryan Gosling | William Boot | December 13, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTThe Kremlin likes to portray these as sinister Western conspiracies.
A raft of thrillers, sci-fi movies, and sinister dramas followed.
As sinister and well-resourced as it is, it may be the weakest link in the chain.
Nevertheless, this world of mankind to-day seems to me to be a very sinister and dreadful world.
The Salvaging Of Civilisation | H. G. (Herbert George) WellsThese are obtained easily, whence follow the sinister reports that they give your Majesty, to the harm of the public welfare.
A chill, sinister feeling crept over me, but I kept my gaze fixed steadily in the same direction.
Uncanny Tales | VariousThen he turned suddenly, and Harris saw that his face had turned most oddly and disagreeably sinister.
Three More John Silence Stories | Algernon BlackwoodThe countenances round him turned sinister, but not idly, negatively sinister: they grew dark with purpose.
Three More John Silence Stories | Algernon Blackwood
British Dictionary definitions for sinister
/ (ˈsɪnɪstə) /
threatening or suggesting evil or harm; ominous: a sinister glance
evil or treacherous, esp in a mysterious way
(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
archaic located on the left side
archaic (of signs, omens, etc) unfavourable
Origin of sinister
1- Compare dexter 1
Derived forms of sinister
- sinisterly, adverb
- sinisterness, noun
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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