ominous en · ADJ
Pronunciation
- (Southern-England) audio
- /ˈɔmɪnəs/ (Australia)
- /ˈɒmɪnəs/ (Canada, dialectal) of the US
- [ˈɔ̟mənəs] (New-Zealand)
- /ˈɑmɪnəs/ (General-American, dialectal) of Canada
- /ˈɒmənəs/ (New-Zealand)
- /ˈɒmɪnəs/ (Received-Pronunciation)
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).
Meanings
-
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 the year.
1911, James George Frazer, The Golden Bough, volume 9, page 324:
-
Specifically, giving indication of a coming ill; being an evil omen
After growing substantially in the 1990s and modestly in the 2000s, the total number of American kids fell from 2010 through 2019, an ominous milestone.
2021 April 23, Ronald Brownstein, “The racist ‘replacement theory’ has it all backward”, in CNN:California poll support for Jerry Brown's tax increases has ominous implications for U.S. taxpayers too Los Angeles Times Headline April 25, 2011
The idea of a merchant selling both totems of pure evil and frozen yogurt (he calls it frogurt!) is amusing in itself, as is the idea that frogurt could be cursed, but it’s really the Shopkeeper’s quicksilver shift from ominous doomsaying to chipper salesmanship that sells the sequence.
2012 April 29, Nathan Rabin, “TV: Review: THE SIMPSONS (CLASSIC): “Treehouse of Horror III” (season 4, episode 5; originally aired 10/29/1992)”, in The A.V. Club:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| more ominous | Degree=Cmp | lexicographic | |
| most ominous | Degree=Sup | lexicographic |
Antonyms
omenless · auspicious · unomened
Deriveds
ominosity · ominously · ominousness · unominous
Hypernyms
unlucky · prophetic · panomphean · evil · fated · augural
Hyponyms
doomsday · doomed · black-letter
Relateds
Synonyms
paramount · presageful · star-crossed · unignorable · inauspicate · portentous · portentous · observable · necessary · life-or-death · ill-starred · portentous · sinister · inauspicious · noted · ill-omened · innegligible · valuable · dire · epochful · critical · historic · prodigious · central · baleful · heavy · foreboding · threatening · big · ill-fated · omenic · fatefraught · nefastous · disastrous · consequential · pivotal · high on the totem pole · essential · inauspicious · relevant · fateful · remarkable · significant · extraordinary · salient · noticeable · key · omenic · momentous · weighty · sullen · crucial · bodeful · divine · meaningful · fatal · pertinent · boding · ill-boding · presagious · vital · outstanding · ominous · fatesome · brooding · augurous
Translations (81)
is ískyggilegur (giving indication of a coming ill) · fr de mauvais augure (giving indication of a coming ill) · ca ominós (of or pertaining to an omen or to omens; being or exhibiting an omen) · kk сұмдық (giving indication of a coming ill) · ga droch-chuma a bheith air (giving indication of a coming ill) · mk злокобен (giving indication of a coming ill) · tr kara (giving indication of a coming ill) · ro fatidic (giving indication of a coming ill) · fi pahaenteinen (giving indication of a coming ill) · tr uğursuz (giving indication of a coming ill) · ka ავბედი (giving indication of a coming ill) · ro prevestitor (of or pertaining to an omen or to omens; being or exhibiting an omen) · it nefasto (giving indication of a coming ill) · ru предвеща́ющий (of or pertaining to an omen or to omens; being or exhibiting an omen) · fr sinistre (giving indication of a coming ill) · uk прові́сницький (of or pertaining to an omen or to omens; being or exhibiting an omen) · de unheilvoll (giving indication of a coming ill) · et kurjakuulutav (giving indication of a coming ill) · pt agourento (of or pertaining to an omen or to omens; being or exhibiting an omen) · te అరిష్ట సూచకమైన (of or pertaining to an omen or to omens; being or exhibiting an omen) · de bedrohlich (giving indication of a coming ill) · pl złowróżbny (giving indication of a coming ill) · sv illavarslande (giving indication of a coming ill) · fi enteellinen (of or pertaining to an omen or to omens; being or exhibiting an omen) · hu baljóslatú (giving indication of a coming ill) · mk злокобен (of or pertaining to an omen or to omens; being or exhibiting an omen) · es ominoso (giving indication of a coming ill) · eo nigra (giving indication of a coming ill) · nl onheilspellend (giving indication of a coming ill) · ja 不吉 (of or pertaining to an omen or to omens; being or exhibiting an omen) · et pahaendeline (giving indication of a coming ill) · sv ominös (of or pertaining to an omen or to omens; being or exhibiting an omen) · es siniestro (of or pertaining to an omen or to omens; being or exhibiting an omen) · fi uhkaava (giving indication of a coming ill) · fr menaçant (giving indication of a coming ill) · bg предвеща́ващ (of or pertaining to an omen or to omens; being or exhibiting an omen) · cmn 不祥 (of or pertaining to an omen or to omens; being or exhibiting an omen) · it infausto (giving indication of a coming ill) · sv olycksbådande (giving indication of a coming ill) · mi tamaki (giving indication of a coming ill) · de ominös (giving indication of a coming ill) · es ominoso (of or pertaining to an omen or to omens; being or exhibiting an omen) · la dīrus (giving indication of a coming ill) · mi tamaki (of or pertaining to an omen or to omens; being or exhibiting an omen) · uk проро́чий (of or pertaining to an omen or to omens; being or exhibiting an omen) · eo omena (of or pertaining to an omen or to omens; being or exhibiting an omen) · grc ἀπαίσιος (giving indication of a coming ill) · hy չարագուշակ (giving indication of a coming ill) · hu ominózus (of or pertaining to an omen or to omens; being or exhibiting an omen) · bg злоко́бен (giving indication of a coming ill) · pl złowieszczy (giving indication of a coming ill) · kk жамандық (giving indication of a coming ill) · bg злове́щ (giving indication of a coming ill) · nl omineus (of or pertaining to an omen or to omens; being or exhibiting an omen) · ca ominós (giving indication of a coming ill) · ru злове́щий (giving indication of a coming ill) · da ildevarslende (giving indication of a coming ill) · pt ominoso (giving indication of a coming ill) · mk зловестен (of or pertaining to an omen or to omens; being or exhibiting an omen) · uk злові́щий (giving indication of a coming ill) · fr omineux (giving indication of a coming ill) · es agorero (giving indication of a coming ill) · cs zlověstný (giving indication of a coming ill) · da varslende (of or pertaining to an omen or to omens; being or exhibiting an omen) · mk зловестен (giving indication of a coming ill) · it predittivo (of or pertaining to an omen or to omens; being or exhibiting an omen) · ro sinistru (of or pertaining to an omen or to omens; being or exhibiting an omen) · pt ominoso (of or pertaining to an omen or to omens; being or exhibiting an omen) · hu baljós (giving indication of a coming ill) · bg веща́ещ (of or pertaining to an omen or to omens; being or exhibiting an omen) · pt agourento (giving indication of a coming ill) · de ahnungsvoll (of or pertaining to an omen or to omens; being or exhibiting an omen) · te అశుభసూచకమైన (giving indication of a coming ill) · kk жамандық белгісі (giving indication of a coming ill) · kk жаман ырым (giving indication of a coming ill) · da uheldsvanger (giving indication of a coming ill) · ro de rău augur (giving indication of a coming ill) · it malaugurante (giving indication of a coming ill) · tr meşum (giving indication of a coming ill) · ka ავბედი (of or pertaining to an omen or to omens; being or exhibiting an omen) · kk сұмдық нышаны (giving indication of a coming ill)