sinister

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

His angular head topped with a green felt crown; his toothy mouth a sinister, grimacing gash; his eyes blackened with what looks like charcoal.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 9, 2026

This fourth problem makes the first three look like sinister, rather than innocent, bureaucratic snafus.

From Salon • Mar. 5, 2026

Miriam is vivacious and energetic but dogged by an unexplained sin from her earlier life—a sin that vests itself in the sinister person of her “model.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 27, 2026

He also accused Iran of "pursuing sinister nuclear ambitions", though Tehran has always insisted its programme is for civilian purposes.

From Barron's • Feb. 27, 2026

He seemed harmless, but I couldn’t shake the feeling that his accommodating manner, his eagerness to help us, was masking something unpleasant, something more sinister in him.

From "Summer of the Mariposas" by Guadalupe García McCall