The sudden darkening of the sky and the eerie stillness of the forest created an ominous atmosphere before the storm.
天空突然变暗，森林中诡异的寂静，在暴风雨来临前营造出一种不祥的氛围。
Which choice best defines “ominous”?
D — Threatening sinister foreboding. “ominous” means threatening sinister foreboding.
Which word means “threatening sinister foreboding”?
D — ominous. “ominous” means threatening sinister foreboding.
ominous — threatening sinister foreboding. In Chinese: 不祥的，恶兆的.
ominous is pronounced /ˈɒmɪnəs/.
The sudden darkening of the sky and the eerie stillness of the forest created an ominous atmosphere before the storm. (天空突然变暗，森林中诡异的寂静，在暴风雨来临前营造出一种不祥的氛围。)
threatening, menacing, sinister — all close in meaning to ominous (threatening sinister foreboding).
auspicious, promising — each the opposite of ominous (threatening sinister foreboding).
Yes. ominous is on the SAT Prep Easy list — mid-frequency academic words that do get tested. The Digital SAT does not test vocabulary in isolation; words like this one are tested through Words in Context questions, where you choose the word that completes a passage most logically and precisely.
omen (omen) + ous → ominous, foreboding.