INAUSPICIOUS Synonyms: 85 Similar and Opposite Words

inauspicious

adjective

ˌi-ˌnȯ-ˈspi-shəs

Definition of inauspicious

as in ominous

being or showing a sign of evil or calamity to come this many problems so early in the project is a most inauspicious sign

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of inauspicious The Marlins’ fleeting, flickering hopes of a playoff berth grew dimmer Saturday when the Cubs beat them for the second day in a row, continuing an inauspicious start to an important nine-game homestand. — Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 6 Sep. 2026 The film had an inauspicious start, McDonald recalled Saturday, during a career retrospective for the SAG-AFTRA Foundation. — Raechal Shewfelt, Entertainment Weekly, 24 Aug. 2026 The Aston Martin Formula 1 team has had an inauspicious run so far in 2026. — Justin Birnbaum, Sportico.com, 20 Aug. 2026 In a second half filled with indictments on Imai’s inauspicious season, few seem more glaring than this. — Chandler Rome, New York Times, 19 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for inauspicious

Recent Examples of Synonyms for inauspicious

Adjective

The film fairly vibrates with ominous tension even in scenes in which seemingly nothing happens.

— Robert Abele, Los Angeles Times, 23 Oct. 2026
The horror movie takes place in Vision’s mind-mansion, which Butcherbird has filled with red light, dark shadows, and ominous imagery.

— Tasha Robinson, Vulture, 21 Oct. 2026

Definition of ominous

Adjective

Feathers McGraw, the sinister penguin villain from the Wallace & Gromit films, also makes a Hitchcockian cameo.

— Scott Roxborough, HollywoodReporter, 22 Oct. 2026
Other examples are more sinister—for instance, the far-right takeover of Croatian Wikipedia, or efforts by corporations to launder their images.

— Julian Lucas, New Yorker, 21 Oct. 2026

Definition of sinister

Adjective

The police spokesperson said Perez was taken into custody without incident and charged with menacing and criminal possession of a weapon.

— Iris Kwok, Los Angeles Times, 27 Oct. 2026
The Melbourne duo taps into trip-hop’s essential strangeness on its latest album, trading the genre’s boilerplate languor for dejected moods, menacing auras, and slippery, all-consuming bass.

— Sam Goldner, Pitchfork, 27 Oct. 2026