sinister

sinister — adjective

1. giving you an uneasy feeling that something bad, dangerous, or evil is nearby or

1.adjectiveB2
Definition

giving you an uneasy feeling that something bad, dangerous, or evil is nearby or about to happen

Example

A sinister figure in a black coat waited at the end of the dark alley.

attributive: sinister + figure / person

The old factory had a sinister look that kept the local children away.

Common collocations
  • sinister figure
  • sinister smile
  • sinister laugh
  • sinister look
  • sinister presence
  • sinister plot
  • sinister threat
  • sinister atmosphere
Synonyms
  • ominous

    stronger focus on warning signs and predictions of future trouble; less about personal threat

  • menacing

    more directly threatening; suggests intention to harm

  • threatening

    broader and more general; can describe both people and situations

  • creepy

    informal; describes an unpleasant feeling of fear without a clear reason

Antonyms
  • benign

    kind and gentle; the opposite of threatening

  • innocent

    not intended to cause harm; neutral in intention

Grammar Patterns

sinister + noun

something + sinister

Usage Note

Frequently used attributively before a noun (a sinister laugh), but also natural in predicative position after verbs like be, seem, or look (the silence seemed sinister). Common in mystery, horror, and thriller contexts.

Common Mistakes

He gave me a sinister look because he was angry.
He gave me a sinister look that made me feel unsafe.
Sinister implies the person seems evil or threatening, not just feeling a negative emotion.

Word family

  • sinisterly
    adverbC1
  • sinisterness
    nounC2

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

All four words describe something that causes fear or unease, but they differ in focus. Sinister suggests a hidden, deliberate evil — like a villain's secret plan. Ominous is about signs of future trouble (dark clouds, a warning bell). Menacing implies direct, visible danger that is about to happen. Threatening is the broadest word, covering both physical danger and verbal warnings. Creepy is informal and describes a vague, uncomfortable feeling of fear without a clear reason. For example, a locked door with scratching sounds is creepy; a figure standing silently in the shadows is sinister; a growling dog with bared teeth is menacing; a sky turning green before a tornado is ominous.

ominousmenacing ↗threateningcreepy ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • something sinister
  • there was something sinister about

Etymology

LatinEnglish

Sinister comes from the Latin word for 'left' (sinister). In ancient Roman fortune-telling, birds appearing on the left side were considered a bad omen, so the word for 'left' gradually came to mean 'unlucky' or 'evil.'