Sinister means threatening or suggesting evil, harm, or trouble; ominous. It can also refer to the left side or the side of a heraldic shield. Find synonyms, translations, and examples of sinister in different contexts. In the 15th century, when the word sinister came into use in English, people who were left-handed were thought to be bad luck or even evil. In his play Hamlet, Shakespeare wrote of the villain holding a human skull in his sinister — i.e., left — hand. sinister, baleful, malign mean seriously threatening evil or disaster . sinister suggests a general or vague feeling of fear or apprehension on the part of the observer. Sinister definition: threatening or portending evil, harm, or trouble; ominous .. See examples of SINISTER used in a sentence.
