ominous
Definition from Wiktionary, the free dictionary
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[edit] English
[edit] Etymology
From Latin ominosus (“full of foreboding”), from omen (“forebiden fruit, omen”), from os (“the mouth”) + -men
[edit] Adjective
ominous (comparative more ominous, superlative most ominous)
- Of or pertaining to an omen or to omens; being or exhibiting an omen; significant.
- Specifically, giving indication of a coming ill; being an evil omen; threatening; portentous; inauspicious.
- California poll support for Jerry Brown's tax increases has ominous implications for U.S. taxpayers too Los Angeles Times Headline April 25, 2011
[edit] Usage notes
- Formerly used both in a favorable and unfavorable sense; now chiefly in the latter; foreboding or foreshadowing evil; inauspicious; as, an ominous dread.
- Nouns to which "ominous" is often applied: sign, silence, warning, cloud, note, sound, shadow, threat, music, tone, implication, message, presence, development, voice, portent, turn, sky, figure, dream, event, trend, change, day, beginning, growl, cry, signal, pattern.
[edit] Synonyms
[edit] Derived terms
[edit] Related terms
[edit] Translations
of or pertaining to an omen or to omens; being or exhibiting an omen
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giving indication of a coming ill
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- The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Help:How to check translations.
Translations to be checked
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[edit] External links
- ominous in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913
- ominous in The Century Dictionary, The Century Co., New York, 1911
