ill-omened

Examples

• All

• Many believed that the storm was an ill-omened sign for the wedding day.

• From the time I was three, I have known that "We'll see" is an ill-omened reply to any request.

  Fiction book (1992)

• "The thirteenth year is ill-omened."

  Fiction book (1996)

• The excuse imagined only a month before, that Rainey's decline would require his full attention, had, like some ill-omened wish, come true.

  Fiction book (1999)

• In this way, everything framed by the beginning and the end of Bernldez's relation is advanced as unfolding under the aegis of a larger, ill-omened design.

  Academic text (2002)

• West Virginia botanist Earl Core reports that the first settlers spoke of the dark spruce forests "in dread, as an ill-omened region, filled with bears, panthers.

  Academic text (1990)

• She avoided walking under ladders, convinced it was an ill-omened act that would bring bad luck.

• The film's ill-omened events foreshadowed a tragic end for the main characters.

Synonyms

D

doomed

vsill-omened

220 4.9

Certain to have a bad end, like failure or destruction

is about being a sign suggesting possible misfortune rather than certainty

C

cursed

vsill-omened

• Literature

136 5.3

Having bad luck because of a magic spell, sometimes used to show anger or strong feeling

is about indicating a sign of likely misfortune rather than supernatural harm

U

unlucky

vsill-omened

89 1.0

Having bad luck that causes problems

is about being regarded as a warning sign rather than simple bad luck

I

ill-fated

vsill-omened

19 6.1

Likely to have very bad luck and end badly

is about being regarded as a sign pointing to future misfortune

A

accursed

vsill-omened

• Literature

15 8.8

Suffering bad luck and likely to have more trouble

is about being a sign of bad luck not necessarily caused by a curse

J

jinxed

vsill-omened

• Informal

5 7.9

Having a lot of bad luck that causes many problems

is about being a sign of bad luck rather than a believed spell cause

I

inauspicious

vsill-omened

4 8.1

Likely to bring bad luck and make success unlikely

is about being seen as a sign rather than indicating low chance of success

H

hexed

vsill-omened

• Informal

3 8.8

Having bad luck because someone put a curse on them

is about being seen as a sign rather than being under a spell

L

luckless

vsill-omened

2 5.3

A person who has many bad things happen to them

is about being regarded as a sign rather than merely experiencing bad luck

A

accurst

vsill-omened

• Archaic

1 9.9

Under a curse and likely to have bad things happen

is about being regarded as a sign rather than an old literary condemnation

I

ill-starred

vsill-omened

• Literature

1 9.0

Likely to have bad luck and end badly

is about being seen as a sign that misfortune may follow

Antonyms

A

auspicious

• Formal

20 7.3

Showing a good sign that something will succeed

F

fortunate

2 2.0

Likely to bring a good result

How Ominous

sinister

90 6.1

portentous

• Formal

4 8.6

ominous

74 6.4

ill-omened

• Literature

1 8.7

inauspicious

4 8.1

Surface Forms

Morphology

Etymology