sinister

adjnasty, menacing

Synonyms for sinister

adj nasty, menacing

Antonyms for sinister

Word Origin & History

early 15c., "prompted by malice or ill-will, intending to mislead," from Old French senestre, sinistre "contrary, false; unfavorable; to the left" (14c.), from Latin sinister "left, on the left side" (opposite of dexter), of uncertain origin. Perhaps meaning properly "the slower or weaker hand" [Tucker], but Klein and Buck suggest it's a euphemism (see left (adj.)) connected with the root of Sanskrit saniyan "more useful, more advantageous." With contrastive or comparative suffix -ter, as in dexter (see dexterity).

The Latin word was used in augury in the sense of "unlucky, unfavorable" (omens, especially bird flights, seen on the left hand were regarded as portending misfortune), and thus sinister acquired a sense of "harmful, unfavorable, adverse." This was from Greek influence, reflecting the early Greek practice of facing north when observing omens. In genuine Roman auspices, the augurs faced south and left was favorable. Thus sinister also retained a secondary sense in Latin of "favorable, auspicious, fortunate, lucky."

Meaning "evil" is from late 15c. Used in heraldry from 1560s to indicate "left, to the left." Bend (not "bar") sinister in heraldry indicates illegitimacy and preserves the literal sense of "on or from the left side" (though in heraldry this is from the view of the bearer of the shield, not the observer of it).

Example Sentences for sinister

We do it in a sinister sense more often than by way of helpfulness.

The sinister association of ideas made Mary shudder, but she said no more.

The voice of the older man came with a sinister force and saturnine.

Dick, too, winced under the pain of this meeting with his father in a situation so sinister.

There was a sinister thread in that flowing note, and suddenly Dick remembered.

Then he saw the owner of the sinister voice, and he felt that he might have known from the first.

It was not loud, and yet that light, snarling, sinister note was evident.

Closely, but with no sinister motive, no trace of ill-feeling, she listened to all which they said.

But beneath, it all seemed so mysterious, fantastic, sinister.

He wondered whether she knew its meaning, with what sinister intention it had been made.

sinister

Synonyms for sinister

Antonyms for sinister

black

creepier

creepy

dark

darker

sinister

Synonyms for sinister

Antonyms for sinister

More words related to sinister

baleful

black

creepier

creepy

dark

darker