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Ominous vs Promising - What's the difference?

ominous | promising |

As adjectives the difference between ominous and promising

is that ominous is of or pertaining to an omen or to omens; being or exhibiting an omen; significant while promising is showing promise, and likely to develop in a desirable fashion.

As a verb promising is

.

As a noun promising is

the act of making a promise.

ominous

English

Adjective

(en adjective)
  • 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) 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 * threatening

    Derived terms

    * ominously * ominousness

    Related terms

    * omen

    External links

    * *

    promising

    English

    Adjective

    (en adjective)
  • Showing promise, and likely to develop in a desirable fashion.
  • Encouraging and inspiring confidence.

    • Verb

    (head)

    • Noun

    (en noun)
  • The act of making a promise.
  • * 1992 , Judith Jarvis Thomson, The Realm of Rights (page 299)
    • So it cannot be supposed that promisings differ from other word-givings in that a word-giver makes a promise only if he or she uses the locution "I promise".