Standard Lemma guide

ominous

adj · 4 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • Received-Pronunciation: /ˈɒmɪnəs/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • General-American, dialectal: /ˈɑmɪnəs/ of Canada
  • Canada, dialectal: /ˈɒmɪnəs/ of the US
  • Australian: /ˈɔmɪnəs/
  • New-Zealand: /ˈɒmənəs/
  • New-Zealand: [ˈɔ̟mənəs]
  • CMU ARPABET: AA1 M AH0 N AH0 S Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

adj

Meaning 1

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

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: momentous, omenic, portentous, big, central, consequential, critical, crucial, epochful, essential, extraordinary, fateful, fatefraught, fatesome, heavy, pivotal, high on the totem pole, historic, innegligible, key, life-or-death, meaningful, necessary, noted, noticeable, observable, outstanding, paramount, pertinent, relevant, remarkable, salient, significant, unignorable, valuable, vital, weighty

Antonyms: none provided

2

adj

Meaning 2

Specifically, giving indication of a coming ill; being an evil omen

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • California poll support for Jerry Brown's tax increases has ominous implications for U.S. taxpayers too Los Angeles Times Headline April 25, 2011

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: threatening, portentous, inauspicious

Antonyms: none provided

3

adjective satellite

Meaning 3

presaging ill fortune- P.B.Shelley

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • ill omens
  • ill predictions
  • my words with inauspicious thunderings shook heaven
  • a dead and ominous silence prevailed
  • a by-election at a time highly unpropitious for the Government

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: ill, inauspicious

Antonyms: none provided

4

adjective satellite

Meaning 4

threatening or foreshadowing evil or tragic developments

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • 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

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: baleful, forbidding, menacing, minacious, minatory, sinister, threatening

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

From Latin ōminōsus (“full of foreboding”), from ōmen (“forbidden fruit, omen”), from Old Latin osmen, of uncertain origin, with many origins proposed (see ōmen).

Across languages

Translations

81 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Bulgarian: веща́ещ (veštáešt) — of or pertaining to an omen or to omens; being or exhibiting an omen
  • Bulgarian: предвеща́ващ (predveštávašt) — of or pertaining to an omen or to omens; being or exhibiting an omen
  • Catalan: ominós — of or pertaining to an omen or to omens; being or exhibiting an omen
  • Chinese Mandarin: 不祥 (bùxiáng) — of or pertaining to an omen or to omens; being or exhibiting an omen
  • Danish: varslende — of or pertaining to an omen or to omens; being or exhibiting an omen
  • Dutch: omineus — of or pertaining to an omen or to omens; being or exhibiting an omen
  • Esperanto: omena — of or pertaining to an omen or to omens; being or exhibiting an omen
  • Finnish: enteellinen — of or pertaining to an omen or to omens; being or exhibiting an omen
  • Georgian: ავბედი (avbedi) — of or pertaining to an omen or to omens; being or exhibiting an omen
  • German: ahnungsvoll — of or pertaining to an omen or to omens; being or exhibiting an omen
  • Hungarian: ominózus — of or pertaining to an omen or to omens; being or exhibiting an omen
  • Italian: predittivo — of or pertaining to an omen or to omens; being or exhibiting an omen
  • Japanese: 不吉 (fukitsu) — of or pertaining to an omen or to omens; being or exhibiting an omen
  • Macedonian: злокобен (zlokoben) — of or pertaining to an omen or to omens; being or exhibiting an omen
  • Macedonian: зловестен (zlovesten) — of or pertaining to an omen or to omens; being or exhibiting an omen
  • Māori: tamaki — of or pertaining to an omen or to omens; being or exhibiting an omen
  • Portuguese: ominoso — of or pertaining to an omen or to omens; being or exhibiting an omen
  • Portuguese: agourento — of or pertaining to an omen or to omens; being or exhibiting an omen
  • Romanian: sinistru — of or pertaining to an omen or to omens; being or exhibiting an omen
  • Romanian: prevestitor — of or pertaining to an omen or to omens; being or exhibiting an omen
  • Russian: предвеща́ющий (predveščájuščij) — of or pertaining to an omen or to omens; being or exhibiting an omen
  • Spanish: ominoso — of or pertaining to an omen or to omens; being or exhibiting an omen
  • Spanish: siniestro — of or pertaining to an omen or to omens; being or exhibiting an omen
  • Swedish: ominös — of or pertaining to an omen or to omens; being or exhibiting an omen
  • Telugu: అరిష్ట సూచకమైన (ariṣṭa sūcakamaina) — of or pertaining to an omen or to omens; being or exhibiting an omen
  • Ukrainian: прові́сницький (provísnycʹkyj) — of or pertaining to an omen or to omens; being or exhibiting an omen
  • Ukrainian: проро́чий (proróčyj) — of or pertaining to an omen or to omens; being or exhibiting an omen
  • Armenian: չարագուշակ (čʻaragušak) — giving indication of a coming ill
  • Bulgarian: злове́щ (zlovéšt) — giving indication of a coming ill
  • Bulgarian: злоко́бен (zlokóben) — giving indication of a coming ill
  • Catalan: ominós — giving indication of a coming ill
  • Czech: zlověstný — giving indication of a coming ill
  • Danish: ildevarslende — giving indication of a coming ill
  • Danish: uheldsvanger — giving indication of a coming ill
  • Dutch: onheilspellend — giving indication of a coming ill
  • Esperanto: nigra — giving indication of a coming ill
  • Estonian: kurjakuulutav — giving indication of a coming ill
  • Estonian: pahaendeline — giving indication of a coming ill
  • Finnish: pahaenteinen — giving indication of a coming ill
  • Finnish: uhkaava — giving indication of a coming ill
  • French: de mauvais augure — giving indication of a coming ill
  • French: omineux — giving indication of a coming ill
  • French: menaçant — giving indication of a coming ill
  • French: sinistre — giving indication of a coming ill
  • Georgian: ავბედი (avbedi) — giving indication of a coming ill
  • German: bedrohlich — giving indication of a coming ill
  • German: ominös — giving indication of a coming ill
  • German: unheilvoll — giving indication of a coming ill
  • Ancient Greek: ἀπαίσιος (apaísios) — giving indication of a coming ill
  • Hungarian: baljós — giving indication of a coming ill
  • Hungarian: baljóslatú — giving indication of a coming ill
  • Icelandic: ískyggilegur — giving indication of a coming ill
  • Irish: droch-chuma a bheith air — giving indication of a coming ill
  • Italian: malaugurante — giving indication of a coming ill
  • Italian: infausto — giving indication of a coming ill
  • Italian: nefasto — giving indication of a coming ill
  • Kazakh: жамандық (jamandyq) — giving indication of a coming ill
  • Kazakh: сұмдық (sūmdyq) — giving indication of a coming ill
  • Kazakh: жамандық белгісі (jamandyq belgısı) — giving indication of a coming ill
  • Kazakh: сұмдық нышаны (sūmdyq nyşany) — giving indication of a coming ill
  • Kazakh: жаман ырым (jaman yrym) — giving indication of a coming ill
  • Latin: dīrus — giving indication of a coming ill
  • Macedonian: злокобен (zlokoben) — giving indication of a coming ill
  • Macedonian: зловестен (zlovesten) — giving indication of a coming ill
  • Māori: tamaki — giving indication of a coming ill
  • Polish: złowróżbny — giving indication of a coming ill
  • Polish: złowieszczy — giving indication of a coming ill
  • Portuguese: agourento — giving indication of a coming ill
  • Portuguese: ominoso — giving indication of a coming ill
  • Romanian: fatidic — giving indication of a coming ill
  • Romanian: de rău augur — giving indication of a coming ill
  • Russian: злове́щий (zlovéščij) — giving indication of a coming ill
  • Spanish: ominoso — giving indication of a coming ill
  • Spanish: agorero — giving indication of a coming ill
  • Swedish: illavarslande — giving indication of a coming ill
  • Swedish: olycksbådande — giving indication of a coming ill
  • Telugu: అశుభసూచకమైన (aśubhasūcakamaina) — giving indication of a coming ill
  • Turkish: uğursuz — giving indication of a coming ill
  • Turkish: meşum — giving indication of a coming ill
  • Turkish: kara — giving indication of a coming ill
  • Ukrainian: злові́щий (zlovíščyj) — giving indication of a coming ill