How to Use sinister in a Sentence

sinister

adjective
  • There was something sinister about him.
  • This wasn’t in the sinister voice of the other questions.
    — Rachel Bloom, Marie Claire, 17 Nov. 2020
  • The sound effects make birdsong and wind in the trees seem sinister.
    — oregonlive, 10 Oct. 2022
  • Is this the work of the Virgin Mary or something more sinister?
    — Kathleen Christiansen, orlandosentinel.com, 18 Apr. 2021
  • For Thais, his four-year-old reign has been more sinister.
    — The Economist, 14 Oct. 2020
  • The group promised Dre a pass for the festival, but there were more sinister plans involved.
    — Jasmine Washington, Seventeen, 21 Mar. 2023
  • That alone may sound sinister but what Fox17 failed to include was the full context.
    — Miriam Fauzia, USA TODAY, 1 Oct. 2020
  • But the toy turns out to be quite sinister — and has ties to Jessica herself.
    — Eric Andersson, Peoplemag, 8 Mar. 2024
  • As with many of his paintings, the bright and playful colors are lined with a sinister edge.
    — Lauren Smart, Dallas News, 26 Jan. 2021
  • But Cat Person, the movie, appears ready to up the stakes with a much more sinister stalking plot and some over-the-top thriller touches.
    — Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 24 Aug. 2023
  • Seeps of water spilled out of the escarpments here and there, creating sinister black stripes against the smoky gray of the cliffs.
    — Emily Pennington, Condé Nast Traveler, 31 Jan. 2023
  • Why did the oil refineries around Carquinez Straits seem sinister to me in the summer of 1956?
    — New York Times, 23 Dec. 2021
  • Hugh Grant is getting big buzz for his portrayal of the sinister man with a plan.
    — Chris Foran, Journal Sentinel, 6 Nov. 2024
  • Suffice to say, a sinister presence with a nice set of chompers is lurking in the cargo hold, and is able to make short work of the doomed crew.
    — Brent Lang, Variety, 11 Aug. 2023
  • For some of the local children, the temple had a more sinister aspect.
    — Gary Kamiya, San Francisco Chronicle, 6 Aug. 2021
  • Amid a sinister sonic backdrop, the song sets out a tale of women targeted in the night.
    — Andrew Casillas, Rolling Stone, 10 Nov. 2022
  • Since as far back as March, Russian hackers have been on a sinister tear.
    — Lily Hay Newman, Wired, 14 Dec. 2020
  • To engage with them was to look in a mirror and find a sinister creature staring back.
    — Manvir Singh, The New Yorker, 9 Sep. 2024
  • His phone was always calling to me, like my own phone did, only in a more sinister way.
    — Lauren Oyler, The Atlantic, 9 Jan. 2021
  • There is some thought that this was a sinister right-wing attempt to test and demonstrate what dark money can do.
    — John Brummett, Arkansas Online, 1 June 2021
  • The title of J Blakeson's sleekly sinister neo-noir is tongue and cheek.
    — Jake Coyle, Star Tribune, 17 Feb. 2021
  • That’s far from the only sinister aspect of the flamboyant one-time Tiger King’s saga.
    — Kathy Passero, al, 28 Sep. 2020
  • So to make a movie where the biggest fan is this sinister force, the literal devil, just felt timely to me.
    — Jessica Wang, EW.com, 26 July 2024
  • The cocoa butter that first drew Nella to Hazel turns out to have a sinister meaning.
    — Lovia Gyarkye, The New Republic, 20 May 2021
  • Of course, this look is truly Gaga, with a dark and sinister green tone that recalls the aesthetics of the Joker film, made more stark by the bleached brows.
    — Anna Cafolla, Vogue, 7 Feb. 2025
  • When one of the guests is murdered, the detective is thrust into a sinister world of shadows and secrets.
    — Lauren Huff, EW.com, 10 Oct. 2022
  • Machine Gun Kelly star in this thriller about an online truth or dare game that takes a sinister turn.
    — Samantha Olson, Seventeen, 29 Aug. 2022
  • On the other hand, these same videos have performed a sinister function.
    — Allissa V. Richardson, The Atlantic, 30 Aug. 2020
  • Tatiana Maslany stars as a wife who, following the abrupt exit of her husband, has to contend with a sinister force at their remote cabin getaway.
    — Brian Davids, The Hollywood Reporter, 20 Feb. 2025
  • Trachtenberg sold each and every one with impeccable comedic timing and the perfectly sinister cattiness a character like Georgina deserves.
    — Brittany Spanos, Rolling Stone, 26 Feb. 2025

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'sinister.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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