# sinister

> English word · Adjective · IPA /ˈsɪnɪstə/ · frequency rank #13,064

## Definitions
1. Inauspicious, ominous, unlucky, illegitimate (as in bar sinister).
2. Evil or seemingly evil; indicating lurking danger or harm.
3. Of the left side.
4. On the left side of a shield from the wearer's standpoint, and the right side to the viewer.
5. Wrong, as springing from indirection or obliquity; perverse; dishonest.

## Etymology
From Middle English sinistre (“unlucky”), from Old French senestre, sinistre (“left”), from Latin sinister (“left hand”).

## Easily confused with
- **sister** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/sinister-vs-sister)
- **spinster** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/sinister-vs-spinster)

## Common misspellings (12)
`isnister`, `siinster`, `sinisetr`, `sinisster`, `sinisterr`, `sinistre`, `sinistter`, `sinitser`, `sinnister`, `sinsiter`, `sniister`, `ssinister`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/sinister