sinister — giving the impression that something harmful or evil is happening or will happen
Part of speech: ADJECTIVE
Definition: giving the impression that something harmful or evil is happening or will happen
Pronunciation (IPA): /ˈsɪnɪstər/
Example Sentences
- The villain's sinister laugh echoed through the empty castle.
- My cat gives me sinister looks when I'm late with dinner.
- There's something sinister about how my roommate always knows when I order pizza.
sinister
ADJECTIVE[/ˈsɪnɪstər/]
giving the impression that something harmful or evil is happening or will happen
A sinister shadow creeps up the castle wall as the villain smiles.
Sin sister schemes with sinister grin — evil plots begin!
The sinister minister delivers his sermon in shadows.
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🎤Pronunciation
🌳Etymology
Origin
From Latin 'sinister' meaning 'left' or 'on the left side.' In Roman times, the left side was considered unlucky or inauspicious, which led to the word acquiring negative connotations of evil or harmful intent.
Breakdown
sinister (Latin root meaning 'left/unlucky') = the complete word, as it was not typically broken into morphemes in Latin but rather inherited as a whole lexical unit into English
🎵Rhyme
🔗Collocations
📝Examples
“The villain's sinister laugh echoed through the empty castle.”
“My cat gives me sinister looks when I'm late with dinner.”
“There's something sinister about how my roommate always knows when I order pizza.”
“The detective suspected sinister motives behind the seemingly innocent donation.”
📚Related Words
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