Word · Frequency #6953
sinister
/ˈsɪnɪstɝː/
adjective
不祥的；凶兆的
threatening or suggesting evil
- 1.
threatening or foreshadowing evil or tragic developments
不祥的
- 2.
stemming from evil characteristics or forces; wicked or dishonorable; ; ; ; ; ; ; -Thomas Hardy
邪恶的
- 3.
on or starting from the wearer's left
左方的
邪恶的；阴险的；佩戴者左侧的；不祥的；邪恶的；左方的
In use
The dark clouds over the mountain looked sinister, and we decided to turn back.
He gave me a sinister smile that made me feel uneasy.
There was something sinister about the empty house at the end of the street.
sinister storm clouds
a sinister smile
the scheme of some sinister intelligence bent on punishing him
bar sinister
sinister + noun
sinister 作定语，修饰名词。
The old house had a sinister appearance.
Connections
Collocations
- sinister plot
- 邪恶的阴谋
- The novel revolves around a sinister plot to overthrow the government.这部小说围绕一个推翻政府的邪恶阴谋展开。
- sinister figure
- 阴险的人物
- A sinister figure emerged from the shadows, startling the children.一个阴险的人物从阴影中走出，吓了孩子们一跳。
- sinister force
- 邪恶的力量
- The ancient book warned of a sinister force that could destroy the world.这本古书警告了一种可能毁灭世界的邪恶力量。
- sinister intent
- 邪恶的意图
- His friendly smile did not hide his sinister intent.他友好的微笑未能掩饰其邪恶的意图。
- sinister laugh
- 阴险的笑声
- The villain let out a sinister laugh as he unveiled his plan.反派在揭露他的计划时发出阴险的笑声。
Learner notes
Memory Tip
拆解为 sin（罪）+ ister（人），联想“有罪之人面目凶恶”，记住“sinister”意为凶恶不吉的。
Context & Register
通常用于正式或文学语境，描述不祥、邪恶或具有威胁性的人、事物或氛围。在新闻和评论中也较常见。
Pronunciation & Spelling
Only 'minister' (/ˈmɪnɪstər/) truly rhymes with 'sinister' (/ˈsɪnɪstər/). The other listed words share the '-ster' suffix but have different stressed vowels, so they do not rhyme.
Usage priority
Collins 词频等级为 2，建议结合例句记忆，而不是只背中文释义。
Learn the forms together
页面下方列出了常见词形变化。学习时注意它们在句子中的语法位置。
Dictionary facts from AI_FALLBACK, ECDICT, WORDNET.