Ominous vs Apocalyptic - What's the difference?
ominous | apocalyptic |
Of or pertaining to an omen or to omens; being or exhibiting an omen; significant.
Specifically, giving indication of a coming ill; being an evil omen; threatening; portentous; inauspicious.
* California poll support for Jerry Brown's tax increases has ominous implications for U.S. taxpayers too Los Angeles Times Headline April 25, 2011
* {{quote-news
, year=2012
, date=April 29
, author=Nathan Rabin
, title=TV: Review: THE SIMPSONS (CLASSIC): “Treehouse of Horror III” (season 4, episode 5; originally aired 10/29/1992)
Of or relating to an apocalypse:
# Of or relating to an apocalypse (a revelation), revelatory; prophetic.
#* 1985', Donald A. Hagner, ''Apocalyptic Motifs in the Gospel of Matthew: Continuity and Discontinuity'', quoted in '''2007 by Jonathan T. Pennington in ''Heaven and Earth in the Gospel of Matthew , page 92:
#* 2002 , Peter W. Smith, In the Day of the Lord: The Exciting and Promised Fulfillment , page 7:
# Of or relating to an apocalypse (a disaster).
#* 2001 , Richard A. Horsley, Hearing the whole story: the politics of plot in Mark's gospel , page 122:
#* 2010 , Philip Leroy Culbertson, Elaine Mary Wainwright, Bible in popular culture , page 184:
Portending a future apocalypse (disaster, devastation or doom).
(nonstandard) Eggcorn of apoplectic.
As adjectives the difference between ominous and apocalyptic
is that ominous is of or pertaining to an omen or to omens; being or exhibiting an omen; significant while apocalyptic is of or relating to an apocalypse:.As a noun apocalyptic is
one who predicts apocalypse.ominous
English
Adjective
(en adjective)citation, page= , passage=The idea of a merchant selling both totems of pure evil and frozen yogurt (he calls it frogurt!) is amusing in itself, as is the idea that frogurt could be cursed, but it’s really the Shopkeeper’s quicksilver shift from ominous doomsaying to chipper salesmanship that sells the sequence.}}
Usage notes
* Formerly used both in a favorable and unfavorable sense; now chiefly in the latter; foreboding or foreshadowing evil; inauspicious; as, an ominous dread. * Nouns to which "ominous" is often applied: sign, silence, warning, cloud, note, sound, shadow, threat, music, tone, implication, message, presence, development, voice, portent, turn, sky, figure, dream, event, trend, change, day, beginning, growl, cry, signal, pattern.Synonyms
* portentous * threateningDerived terms
* ominously * ominousnessExternal links
* *apocalyptic
English
Adjective
(-)- "From beginning to end, and throughout, the Gospel makes such frequent use of apocalyptic' motifs and the '''apocalyptic''' viewpoint that it deserves to be called the '''''apocalyptic Gospel ."
- This was because apocalyptic stories — from the Greek word apohalupsis which means “reveal” — uses the vocabulary of symbols and numbers and contains concealed messages that secular listeners cannot comprehend.
- In fact, interpreters commonly declare that Mark is an "apocalyptic " Gospel. When they read Jesus' long speech toward the end of the Gospel (chap. 13), they even detect a veritable "apocalypse": "Wars and rumors of wars, "
- These bookends house a wealth of apocalyptic stories. The Bible, like some street preacher with a sign, shouts, “The end is near!”
- He was apocalyptically furious.