Synonym Chooser

How does the adjective ominous differ from other similar words?

The words fateful and portentous are common synonyms of ominous. While all three words mean "having a menacing or threatening aspect," ominous implies having a menacing, alarming character foreshadowing evil or disaster.

ominous rumblings from the volcano

Where would fateful be a reasonable alternative to ominous?

The words fateful and ominous can be used in similar contexts, but fateful suggests being of momentous or decisive importance.

the fateful conference that led to war

When can portentous be used instead of ominous?

Although the words portentous and ominous have much in common, portentous suggests being frighteningly big or impressive but now seldom definitely connotes forewarning of calamity.

an eerie and portentous stillness

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of ominous Berlin Film Festival Jury President Todd Haynes recently opened the annual celebration Thursday, February 13 with an ominous warning about the current Trump administration. Harrison Richlin, IndieWire, 13 Feb. 2025 There’s the ominous sense that the monkeys lurking around the resort might just be the same ones wielding swords in the frescoes. Amanda Whiting, Vulture, 16 Feb. 2025 Those recall notices referred to a permanent solution without specifying what that might be—something that could be read as ominous or hopeful. Eric Bangeman, Ars Technica, 14 Feb. 2025 In the last few minutes of an eerie, unsettling, and increasingly ominous Episode 4, two shocking developments roll out one right after the other. Ben Travers, IndieWire, 7 Feb. 2025 See All Example Sentences for ominous
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ominous
Adjective
  • Deepfakes first attracted attention for its use in making fake celebrity pornographic films, but their uses have subsequently evolved to more sinister reasons.
    Rohan Pinto, Forbes, 27 Feb. 2025
  • Columbia Pictures When Bobbie also suddenly transforms, Joanna discovers that her best friend has been replaced by a robot—along with all the other wives—and realizes the sinister forces at work in Stepford are coming for her next.
    Ars Technica, Ars Technica, 23 Feb. 2025
Adjective
  • Slimani is a hardened criminal made less menacing by Kateb’s faltering rhythms in English, the gang’s lingua franca.
    Ben Kenigsberg, New York Times, 20 Feb. 2025
  • Others see something darker and more menacing for the country and its future.
    Chris Megerian, Chicago Tribune, 19 Feb. 2025
Adjective
  • The picture looks bleak in the U.S. and in France the company is entering receivership.
    Andreas Wiseman, Deadline, 24 Feb. 2025
  • The tiny graves at one end of the orphanage compound are a bleak reminder of what a future without USAID might look like for the children.
    Nicholas Komu, Los Angeles Times, 21 Feb. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Ominous.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ominous. Accessed 6 Mar. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on ominous

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