Ominously

Part of speech: adverb

Pronunciation: /ˈɒmɪnəsli/

Definitions

1. In a way that suggests something bad or unpleasant is going to happen
2. In a manner that signals potential danger or an adverse event
3. In a fashion that conveys a sense of impending doom or threat

Etymology: "Ominously" is simply "ominous" with the adverbial ending "-ly" attached, so its story is really the story of the suffix. That ending traces back to a Proto-Germanic word meaning "body" or "form," which became a suffix meaning "having the form or appearance of," and then, through Old English "-līċe" and Middle English "-ly," it came to mark how something is done. Adding it to an adjective turns a quality into a manner: a thing that is ominous, acted on in an ominous way, is done "ominously." The base word "ominous" comes from Latin "ōminōsus," built from "ōmen," an omen or sign, usually one read from events to predict the future. So an ominous act is one that carries the sense of an omen, a warning of something bad to come. The adverb inherits that sense, so when someone speaks or moves "ominously," the manner itself hints at trouble ahead.

Synonyms: forebodingly, threateningly, menacingly, sinisterly, darkly

Antonyms: promisingly, favorably, encouragingly, positively, cheerfully