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ill-omened

ill-omened

8.7
A thing that people think will bring bad luck
  • adjective
  • /ˌɪlˈoʊmənd/
  • Literature
translation icon : de mal agüero
  • Gods come to lie with mortal maidens at Beltane, and their offspring tend to be ill-omened.

Examples

  • 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

unlucky
vsill-omened
91 1.0

Having bad luck that causes problems

is about being regarded as a warning sign rather than simple bad luck
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
doomed
vsill-omened
7 4.9

Certain to have a bad end, like failure or destruction

is about being a sign suggesting possible misfortune rather than certainty
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
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
jinxed
vsill-omened
  • Informal
2 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
cursed
vsill-omened
  • Literature
1 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
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
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
hexed
vsill-omened
  • Informal
1 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
accursed
vsill-omened
  • Literature
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

Antonyms

auspicious
  • Formal
22 7.3

Showing a good sign that something will succeed

20 2.0

Likely to bring a good result

How Ominous

sinister
87 6.1
portentous
  • Formal
4 8.6
ominous
96 6.4
ill-omened
  • Literature
8.7
inauspicious
4 8.1

Surface Forms

ill-omened positive

Morphology

ill-omened = ill-omen (semi-transparent) = ill + omen + ed

The suffix '-ed' forms an adjective from 'ill-omen', indicating a state or condition associated with bad luck.

Etymology

Ill-omened comes from two parts: ill- meaning 'bad' and omen meaning 'a sign'. So something ill-omened is a 'bad sign' and is seen as likely to bring bad luck.