ominous
English · Thesaurus
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Written by a house AI from the entry below, in your language. The entry itself is the source.
ominous
- /ˈɒmɪnəs/ UK
- /ˈɑmɪnəs/ US, dialectal
- /ˈɒmɪnəs/ Canada, dialectal
- /ˈɔmɪnəs/ Australia
- /ˈɒmənəs/ New Zealand
- [ˈɔ̟mənəs] New Zealand
Where it comes from
From Latin ōminōsus (“full of foreboding”), from ōmen (“forbidden fruit, omen”), from Old Latin osmen, of uncertain origin, with many origins proposed (see ōmen).
adjective more ominous · most ominous
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Of or pertaining to an omen or to omens; being or exhibiting an omen; significant.
In Cornouaille, Brittany, it is popularly believed that the weather of the last six days of December and the first six of January prognosticates the weather of the twelve months; but in other parts of Brittany it is the first twelve days of January that are supposed to be ominous of the weather for
Similar: momentous, omenic, portentous, big, central, consequential, critical, crucial, epochful, essential, extraordinary, fateful
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Specifically, giving indication of a coming ill; being an evil omen
California poll support for Jerry Brown's tax increases has ominous implications for U.S. taxpayers too Los Angeles Times Headline April 25, 2011
Similar: threatening, portentous, inauspicious
Similar: augurous, baleful, bodeful, boding, dire, disastrous, divine, fatal, foreboding, ill-boding, ill-fated, ill-omened, ill-starred, inauspicate, inauspicious, nefastous, omenic, ominous, brooding, portentous, presageful, presagious, prodigious, sinister, star-crossed, sullen · Opposite: auspicious, omenless, unomened
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: baleful, forbidding, minacious, menacing, minatory, threatening, ill, sinister, unpropitious, inauspicious, alarming, ugly, fateful, tremendous, adverse, heavy
adjective
Similar: augurous, baleful, bodeful, boding, dire, disastrous, divine, fatal, foreboding, ill-boding, ill-fated, ill-omened, ill-starred, inauspicate, inauspicious, nefastous, omenic, ominous, brooding, portentous, presageful, presagious, prodigious, sinister, star-crossed, sullen · Opposite: auspicious, omenless, unomened
Translations
Every language
adj of or pertaining to an omen or to omens; being or exhibiting an omen
| Español | ominoso, siniestro |
|---|---|
| 日本語 | 不吉 fukitsu |
| 中文 | 不祥 bùxiáng |
| Português | ominoso, agourento |
| Deutsch | ahnungsvoll |
| Italiano | predittivo |
| Română | sinistru, prevestitor |
| Русский | предвеща́ющий predveščájuščij |
adj giving indication of a coming ill
| Español | ominoso, agorero |
|---|---|
| Português | agourento, ominoso |
| Français | de mauvais augure, omineux, menaçant, sinistre |
| Deutsch | bedrohlich, ominös, unheilvoll |
| Italiano | malaugurante, infausto, nefasto |
| Română | fatidic, de rău augur |
| Русский | злове́щий zlovéščij |
Talk about this word "ominous." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/ominous. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. ominous. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/ominous "ominous." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/ominous.Cite this
@misc{ominous_2026,
title = {ominous},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/ominous},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
