1 sinister | Definition of sinister
Logo
Menu
dictionary thesaurus

sinister

adjective
sin·​is·​ter | \ ˈsi-nə-stər How to pronounce sinister (audio) , archaic sə-ˈni-\

Definition of sinister

1 : singularly evil or productive of evil
2 : accompanied by or leading to disaster
3 : presaging ill fortune or trouble
4a : of, relating to, or situated to the left or on the left side of something especially : being or relating to the side of a heraldic shield at the left of the person bearing it
b : of ill omen by reason of being on the left
5 archaic : unfavorable, unlucky
6 archaic : fraudulent
Other Words from sinister Synonyms & Antonyms Choose the Right Synonym insidious, sinister, or pernicious? Is sinister unfair to the left-handed? Example Sentences Learn More about sinister

Keep scrolling for more

Other Words from sinister

sinisterly adverb
sinisterness noun

Choose the Right Synonym for sinister

sinister, baleful, malign mean seriously threatening evil or disaster. sinister suggests a general or vague feeling of fear or apprehension on the part of the observer. a sinister aura haunts the place baleful imputes perniciousness or destructiveness to something whether working openly or covertly. exerting a corrupt and baleful influence malign applies to what is inherently evil or harmful. the malign effects of racism

insidious, sinister, or pernicious?

Few would choose to be associated with people or things that are insidious, sinister, or pernicious; all three of these words have decidedly unpleasant meanings, each with its own particular shade of nastiness.

Insidious comes from a Latin word for “ambush” (insidiae), which is fitting, as this word often carries the meanings “deceitful,” “stealthy,” or “harmful in an imperceptible fashion.” The first two meanings may be applied to people or things (“an insidious enemy,” “an insidious plot”), while the last is usually applied to things (“insidious problems,” “insidious sexism”), in particular to the gradual progress of a disease (“an insidious malignancy”).

Sinister comes from a Latin word meaning “on the left side, unlucky, inauspicious.” Although it is commonly used today in the sense “evil” (“a sinister cult leader”; “a sinister plot”), it may also suggest an ominous foreshadowing of some unfavorable turn of events (“a sinister omen”).

Pernicious has largely stayed true to its etymological root, the Latin noun pernicies “ruin, destruction.” Its original meaning in English, “highly injurious or destructive,” usually applies to things (“pernicious apathy,” “pernicious effects”) and medical conditions (“pernicious fever,” “pernicious anemia”). When applied to people, pernicious means “wicked.”

Is sinister unfair to the left-handed?

Sinister has an etymology that might seem a bit biased against the left-handed portion of the population, as this word, which has had naught but disagreeable meanings for over five hundred years now, comes from a Latin word of the same spelling that means “on the left side.” We find this root in other English words, such as the adjective sinistral (“left-handed”) and the adverb sinistrad (“toward the left side”). To make things even more unfair, the Latin word dexter (“on the right side”) has given rise to English words with largely positive meanings, such as dexterity and ambidextrous.

Examples of sinister in a Sentence

There was something sinister about him. the movie relies too much on sinister background music to create the suspense that the plot sorely lacks

Recent Examples on the Web

 In the movie, that power is magical, sinister, and channeled through a physical book. — Julie Beck, The Atlantic, "Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark," 23 Aug. 2019 Painting on sinister clown makeup or sporting sore-covered masks not your thing? — Kari Barnett, sun-sentinel.com, "Fright Nights scares up more screams with expanded schedule," 23 Aug. 2019 But less sinister effects, including irritability, fatigue, and attention deficit, are pretty much par for the course. — Natasha Frost, Quartz, "The health risks of ultra-long-haul flights," 22 Aug. 2019 Animal rights advocates moved their rook, holding signs that paint horse racing as heartless and sinister. — San Diego Union-Tribune, "Column: Protests, counter-protests at Del Mar show horse racing finally paying attention," 22 Aug. 2019 The crossover schedule is downright sinister, with the Badgers facing Michigan and Michigan State at home and Ohio State at the ’Shoe. — Teddy Greenstein, chicagotribune.com, "Column: 6 teams can win the Big Ten West (sorry, Illinois). Here are reasons to believe in each of them — and reasons to doubt.," 19 Aug. 2019 Some things are more sinister, some are more playful. — Ingrid Schmidt, The Hollywood Reporter, "Inside the Horror Film-Themed Moschino Fashion Show at Universal Studios," 8 June 2019 Her family inhabited the most sinister home located in Mill Valley. — Guy Hanford, Ramona Sentinel, "Flickers: ‘Brian Banks’ and ‘The Kitchen’ open Friday," 8 Aug. 2019 Anupam Kher wrote on Twitter, making sure in his tweet to thank God, the Indian government, BJP prime minister Narendra Modi, and Modi’s sinister consigliere, home minister Amit Shah. — Siddhartha Deb, The New Republic, "India’s Looming Ethno-Nationalist Catastrophe," 7 Aug. 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'sinister.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

See More

First Known Use of sinister

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 5

History and Etymology for sinister

Middle English sinistre, from Anglo-French senestre on the left, from Latin sinistr-, sinister on the left side, unlucky, inauspicious

Keep scrolling for more

Keep scrolling for more

More Definitions for sinister

sinister

adjective
How to pronounce sinister (audio)

English Language Learners Definition of sinister

: having an evil appearance : looking likely to cause something bad, harmful, or dangerous to happen

See the full definition for sinister in the English Language Learners Dictionary

sinister

adjective
sin·​is·​ter | \ ˈsi-nəs-tər How to pronounce sinister (audio) \

Kids Definition of sinister

1 : threatening evil, harm, or danger We heard sinister rumors.

WORD OF THE DAY

See Definitions and Examples

Get Word of the Day daily email!