sinister
adjective
Did you know?
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.”
Did you know?
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.
Synonyms
Examples of sinister in a Sentence
Shania Russell, EW.com, 7 Apr. 2024
Later on, the sinister vibe is ramped up when a frightened character looks dead into the headset at something behind the viewer, which is not visible.
—William Earl, Variety, 4 Apr. 2024
Even the meeting’s location had a sinister resonance: Potsdam is not far from Wannsee, where the Nazis drew up plans for the logistics of the Holocaust in January 1942.
—Joseph De Weck, The Atlantic, 20 Mar. 2024
Clearly, some sinister things are happening behind those sacred gates.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 20 Mar. 2024
In the film, the actress plays Cecilia, a devout American nun who moves to a convent in Italy, quickly uncovering a sinister side of the religious community.
—Benjamin Vanhoose, Peoplemag, 20 Mar. 2024
But the fact that AI image tools exist offers a juicier, perhaps more sinister option of fakery, one that might imply that the princess is far worse off than the monarchy is letting on.
—Charlie Warzel, The Atlantic, 11 Mar. 2024
Starring Patrick Dempsey, Addison Rae, and Milo Manheim, this film blends traditional slasher elements with a sinister holiday twist.
—Travis Bean, Forbes, 23 Feb. 2024
Alice starts playing games with Chauncey that begin playful and become increasingly sinister.
—Lester Fabian Brathwaite, EW.com, 10 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'sinister.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Middle English sinistre, from Anglo-French senestre on the left, from Latin sinistr-, sinister on the left side, unlucky, inauspicious
15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Phrases Containing sinister
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Cite this Entry
“Sinister.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sinister. Accessed 18 Apr. 2024.
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Kids Definition
sinister
adjective
Middle English sinistre "unlucky, unfavorable," from Latin sinistr-, sinister "left, on the left side, awkward, unfavorable"; so called because the ancient Romans believed that omens seen on the left side told of bad things to come
More from Merriam-Webster on sinister
Nglish: Translation of sinister for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of sinister for Arabic Speakers
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about sinister
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