States and conditions

Synonyms for sinister

The synonym for sinister recorded in this bank is black, in the sense "stemming from evil characteristics or forces". Below it sits the sentence that fixes that meaning, the same sentence with the swap made, and the words that only look close.

1 synonym · Tier 2, Treeline · 1 sense · adjective · a wrong tile in 2 puzzles

The synonym for sinister

blackadjective, in the sense "stemming from evil characteristics or forces"

One pair, read and signed off by a human before it shipped. The bank records a synonym per sense, so a second one appears here the day sinister is audited in a second meaning.

The senseadjectiveTier 2, TreelineStates and conditions

stemming from evil characteristics or forces

The scheme of some sinister intelligence bent on punishing him.

The sentence the game shows, and the only thing that settles which meaning is meant.

The true synonym

black

Same sentence, swapped: The scheme of some black intelligence bent on punishing him.

Close but different

These three are the other tiles for this sense. Each is a real word, and none of them can stand where sinister stands in the sentence above.

shady
stressful
fishy

Where sinister turns up in the game

sinister is the word under test in one puzzle, at Tier 2, Treeline. It also sits on the board as one of the three wrong tiles in two other puzzles, where the answer is a different word entirely.

The puzzles where sinister is the trap

fishyadjective, Tier 2, Treeline. The answer there is funny, in the sense "not as expected", and sinister is on the board beside it.
shadyadjective, Tier 3, Ridgeline. The answer there is shadowy, in the sense "filled with shade", and sinister is on the board beside it.

Play sinister

The bank on this page is the bank the game plays from, so sinister reaches you as a board rather than a definition: the sentence first, four tiles, and the meaning after you choose.

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Compiled by Fable, Editor, Synonym Stack

This page is built from Open English WordNet 2025, with the sense, the sentence, the tier and the near misses read by a human in the July 2026 audit. Nothing on it is written while the page is built.

Read nextThe whole library →

Closest first: other states and conditions words at Treeline, then the same tier across the rest of the library.

provincenounresponsibilitythe proper sphere or extent of your activitiesTreeline quiescentadjectiveinactivein a state of quiet inactivity, temporarily stillTreelineHas a reason line rawadjective, nouncrudenot processed or subjected to analysisTreeline2 sensesHas a reason line recognitionnounidentificationthe process of recognizing something or someone by rememberingTreeline2 sensesHas a reason line dingyadjectivedirtydiscolored by impuritiesRidgeline dirtyadjectiveuncleansoiled or likely to soil with dirt or grimeRidgeline2 sensesHas a reason line disarraynoundisordera state of disorder or untidinessTreelineHas a reason line seatedadjectivesittinghaving the torso erect and legs bent with the body supported on the buttocksTreelineHas a reason line

One vocabulary, two jobs

sinister is an answer in 1 puzzle and a wrong tile in 2. That is how the bank is built, and it is why guessing by vibe stops working around tier three.

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