What does ominous mean?

Definitions for ominous
ˈɒm ə nəsomi·nous

This dictionary definitions page includes all the possible meanings, example usage and translations of the word ominous.

Princeton's WordNet

  1. baleful, forbidding, menacing, minacious, minatory, ominous, sinister, threateningadjective

    threatening or foreshadowing evil or tragic developments

    "a baleful look"; "forbidding thunderclouds"; "his tone became menacing"; "ominous rumblings of discontent"; "sinister storm clouds"; "a sinister smile"; "his threatening behavior"; "ugly black clouds"; "the situation became ugly"

  2. ill, inauspicious, ominousadjective

    presaging ill fortune

    "ill omens"; "ill predictions"; "my words with inauspicious thunderings shook heaven"- P.B.Shelley; "a dead and ominous silence prevailed"; "a by-election at a time highly unpropitious for the Government"

Wiktionary

  1. ominousadjective

    Of or pertaining to an omen or to omens; being or exhibiting an omen; significant.

  2. ominousadjective

    Specifically, giving indication of a coming ill; being an evil omen; threatening; portentous; inauspicious.

  3. Etymology: From ominosus, from omen, from os + -men

Samuel Johnson's Dictionary

  1. Ominousadjective

    Etymology: from omen.

    Let me be duke of Clarence;
    For Glo’ster’s dukedom is ominous. William Shakespeare, Henry VI.

    Pomfret, thou bloody prison,
    Fatal and ominous to noble peers. William Shakespeare, Rich. III.

    These accidents the more rarely they happen, the more ominous are they esteemed, because they are never observed but when sad events do ensue. John Hayward.

    Roving the Celtic and Iberian fields,
    He last betakes him to this ominous wood. John Milton, Poems.

    As in the heathen worship of God, a sacrifice without an heart was accounted ominous; so in the christian worship of him, an heart without a sacrifice is worthless. Robert South, Serm.

    Pardon a father’s tears,
    And give them to Charinus’ memory;
    May they not prove as ominous to thee. Dryden.

    Though he had a good ominous name to have made a peace, nothing followed. Francis Bacon, Henry VII.

Wikipedia

  1. ominous

    An omen (also called portent) is a phenomenon that is believed to foretell the future, often signifying the advent of change. It was commonly believed in ancient times, and still believed by some today, that omens bring divine messages from the gods.These omens include natural phenomena, for example an eclipse, abnormal births of animals (especially humans) and behaviour of the sacrificial lamb on its way to the slaughter. Specialists, known as diviners, variously existed to interpret these omens. They would also use an artificial method, for example, a clay model of a sheep liver, to communicate with their gods in times of crisis. They would expect a binary answer, either yes or no, favourable or unfavourable. They did these to predict what would happen in the future and to take action to avoid disaster.Though the word omen is usually devoid of reference to the change's nature, hence being possibly either "good" or "bad", the term is more often used in a foreboding sense, as with the word ominous. The word comes from its Latin equivalent omen, of otherwise uncertain origin.

ChatGPT

  1. ominous

    Ominous refers to something that gives a feeling or impression of foreboding or an impending threat. It suggests a sense of impending danger, evil, or harm. Ominous often relates to situations, events, or signs that make one feel anxious, uneasy, or apprehensive about what may occur in the future.

Chambers 20th Century Dictionary

  1. Ominous

    om′in-us, adj. pertaining to, or containing, an omen: foreboding evil: inauspicious.—adv. Om′inously.—n. Om′inousness.

Usage in printed sourcesFrom: 

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Numerology

  1. Chaldean Numerology

    The numerical value of ominous in Chaldean Numerology is: 6

  2. Pythagorean Numerology

    The numerical value of ominous in Pythagorean Numerology is: 7

Examples of ominous in a Sentence

  1. Afghan President Ashraf Ghani:

    Our discussions were based on how to bring under control and eliminate those ominous phenomena which are obstacles to stability, prosperity and cooperation in the region.

  2. David Joy:

    The message that financials are sending about growth is more ominous, banks are a proxy for the outlook for growth. And the outlook is diminishing.

  3. Nicolle Wallace:

    Glenn Youngkin worshipped at the altar of Donald Trump … Glenn Youngkin did not really put much distance between Glenn Youngkin and Donald Trump on the big lie or the deadly insurrection, so, I think that the real ominous thing, is that critical race theory, which is n’t real, turned the suburbs 15 points to the Trump-insurrection-endorsed Republican.

  4. Afghan President Ashraf Ghani:

    Unfortunately two countries which are committed to peace and stability are in danger from regional and international terrorism, our discussions were based on how to bring under control and eliminate those ominous phenomena which are obstacles to stability, prosperity and cooperation in the region.

  5. Daleep Singh:

    The ominous reality was that a synchronized global sell-off had taken on a life of its own, with little prospect for self-correction.

Popularity rank by frequency of use

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Translations for ominous

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"ominous." Definitions.net. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 24 Oct. 2024. <https://www.definitions.net/definition/ominous>.

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