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"
Used in a Sentence
sinister
How to use sinister in a sentence. Example sentences and definitions for sinister.
Editorial note
I'm a bit cynical, but I don't think that it's anything quite that sinister.
Examples8
Definitions3
Parts of speech1
Quick take
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"
Meaning at a glance
The clearest senses and uses of sinister gathered in one view.
stemming from evil characteristics or forces; wicked or dishonorable; "black deeds"; "a black lie"; "his black heart has concocted yet another black deed"; "Darth Vader of the dark side"; "a dark purpose"; "dark undercurrents of ethnic hostility"; "the scheme of some sinister intelligence bent on punishing him"-Thomas Hardy
on or starting from the wearer's left; "bar sinister"
Definitions
Core meanings and parts of speech for sinister.
adjective
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"
See also: baleful, forbidding, menacing, minacious, minatory, ominous, threatening
adjective
stemming from evil characteristics or forces; wicked or dishonorable; "black deeds"; "a black lie"; "his black heart has concocted yet another black deed"; "Darth Vader of the dark side"; "a dark purpose"; "dark undercurrents of ethnic hostility"; "the scheme of some sinister intelligence bent on punishing him"-Thomas Hardy
adjective
on or starting from the wearer's left; "bar sinister"
Example sentences
I'm a bit cynical, but I don't think that it's anything quite that sinister.
That's more than vaguely sinister, and is arguably an actual evil.
It is seen simply as a sinister, addictive[1] necessary evil.
Wycliffe's "knave", or "young boy" as it meant to him in the 14th century, is today a far more sinister character than originally meant.
Over and over again the Courts have said that there is nothing sinister in so arranging affairs as to keep taxes as low as possible.
It's nothing as sinister as the GitHub story, but I see a lot of the same structural issues reflected in these telling anecdotes.
In the Techcrunch piece Horvath says that the founder's wife spoke of having spies, and influencing HR decisions, and so on. I can easily imagine the conversation taking place over drinks, and it could be horribly sinister or it could be someone's not-very-well-judged attempt at humor.
This is classic entrepreneurship and there is nothing more sinister about JPMorgan having to compete with a star player launching their own fund than there is Google having to pay out to top performers who may otherwise do well launching a start-up.
Frequently asked questions
Short answers drawn from the clearest meanings and examples for this word.
How do you use sinister in a sentence?
I'm a bit cynical, but I don't think that it's anything quite that sinister.
What does sinister mean?
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"
What part of speech is sinister?
sinister is commonly used as adjective.