ominousom‧i‧nous /ˈɒmɪnəs $ ˈɑː-/ adjective 
‘How long will she be ill?’ he asked. There was an ominous silence. The car is making an ominous rattling sound.—ominously adverb: The sky looked ominously dark.
WORD ORIGINominous
Origin:
1500-1600 Latin ominosus, from omenEXAMPLES FROM OTHER DICTIONARIES
- Another wave crashed onto the deck and the mast made an ominous creaking sound.
- Katy answered the phone. There was an ominous silence.
- My manager asked for an appointment at nine o'clock on a Monday morning: it sounded ominous.
- There was an ominous silence in the room.
- A sequence played amid a storm exudes the right air of ominous foreboding.
- I felt as if something ominous was happening even as I sat there watching him.
- It is an ominous metaphor, though.
- No one had taken up Sylvian's work, despite the ominous ruler and ink.
- Rumblings that the election might be postponed once again have grown after a series of ominous events in recent weeks.
- So was it ever thus, history the source of ominous portent, further nourishing Bobby Robson's anxiety?
- The music moves from ominous grooves to all-out instrumental pummeling of the listener -- all in the same piece.
- The Straits Times, the government-controlled newspaper, reported the loss in dark, ominous headlines, heavy with foreboding.
Longman Language Activatormaking you realize that something bad could happen
: warn somebody (that) · Something warned Lucy that she must stop him.· The bleached bones of cattle warn the traveler how hot it can be in Death Valley.warn of · Dark clouds warned of the approaching storm.
if an event or fact is a warning , it shows that something bad could happen or is going to happen: · The story of the Titanic is a warning to anyone who trusts too much in their technology.· The only warning was a low rumbling sound.be a warning of: · Pain in the shoulder and arm can be a warning of a heart attack.
if something sets (the) alarm bells ringing it makes you realize that something seriously wrong or very dangerous is happening: · There were no lights on when I got home. That immediately set alarm bells ringing.· A brief study of the company's accounts set the alarm bells ringing -- there was no trace of the $56 million loan.
making you think that something bad has happened or is likely to happen soon: · Another wave crashed onto the deck and the mast made an ominous creaking sound.· Katy answered the phone. There was an ominous silence.something sounds ominous: · My manager asked for an appointment at nine o'clock on a Monday morning: it sounded ominous.
intended to or likely to warn you that something bad will happen if you continue to do something or do not do something: · Aunt Lou shot a warning glance at father just as he was about to speak.· He grabbed her pistol and fired a warning shot. The intruder ran back out into the hall. · From the trees there came a warning screech and the whole flock took to the air.
: cautionary tale/note something that provides a warning of something bad that could happen or a warning against particular actions or behaviour: · The rise and fall of this company is a cautionary tale for anyone investing in the property market.· The director ended her speech on a cautionary note, when she said that next year would be even harder than this year.
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE ENTRY ‘How long will she be ill?’ he asked. There was an ominous silence.COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES
making you feel that something bad is going to happen: ‘How long will she be ill?’ he asked. There was an ominous silence.· The jury was taking ages to make up its mind, which he felt was probably a bad sign.
(=one that makes you feel that something bad is going to happen)· ‘How long will she be ill?’ There was a short, ominous silence.
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE CORPUSADVERB· For others, the turn of the generations will have a more ominous feel.· However, in the past week, a new and more ominous sign of trouble has appeared: the water is rusty.· A silent, evil place, becoming more ominous the deeper they went.· Though less celebrated than Dolly, the birth of Polly is far more ominous.· Yet in many ways it was more ominous in 1946.· The second hypothesis is more ominous.· Tillman suggested they were looking at a way of life, nothing more ominous than that.
NOUN· There had been an ominous sign.· However, in the past week, a new and more ominous sign of trouble has appeared: the water is rusty.· There were ominous signs of crumbling in the heart of the Frankish kingdom assigned to Charles in 837.· What information has been gathered contains some subtle but ominous signs.· The rising was suppressed, but it was an ominous sign.· An ominous sign ... or were they just afraid to admit supporting a rebel?
· An ominous silence.. now intervened...· There is a deep, ominous silence.· But the first few readings he had assigned had produced an ominous silence.
‘How long will she be ill?’ he asked. There was an ominous silence. The car is making an ominous rattling sound.—ominously adverb: The sky looked ominously dark.