Word.ws English Dictionary

writing on the wall

Syllables: writ·ing on the wallUK/ˈɹaɪtɪŋ ɒn ðə ˈwɔːl/US/ˈɹaɪtɪŋ ɑn ðə ˈwɔl/

writing on the wall noun: an ominous warning; a prediction of bad luck.

writing on the wall: an ominous warning; a prediction of bad luck
Image: Rembrandt, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Noun

writing on the wall (countable and uncountable, plural writings on the wall or writings on walls)

  1. (idiomatic) An ominous warning; a prediction of bad luck.
    • He could see the writing on the wall months before the business failed.
    • She should have seen the writing on the wall when her boss suggested a change of career.

Examples of writing on the wall in a sentence

  • However, regardless of evil portents, prophetic despair and a great deal too much writing on the wall, I have managed so far to write two fairly cheerful musical comedies.1965, Noël Coward, “Note on ‘The Sixties’”, in The Lyrics, London: William Heinemann, →OCLC, page 361:
  • As a railwayman put it to me: "When I saw chums of mine took their families down there by car, I could see the writing on the wall.2022 February 23, Benedict le Vay, “Part of rail's past... present... and future”, in RAIL, number 951, pages 53–54:

Forms of writing on the wall

pluralwritings on the wall
pluralwritings on walls
alternative formhandwriting on the wall

Origin of writing on the wall

From the Biblical story in Daniel 5, where, during a feast held by King Belshazzar, a hand suddenly appears and writes on a wall the following Aramaic words: מְנֵא מְנֵא תְּקֵל וּפַרְסִין (mənē mənē təqēl ūp̄arsīn, “numbered, numbered, weighed, and they are divided”) (Daniel 5:25). Daniel interprets the words as pointing to the downfall of the Babylonian Empire.

Questions about writing on the wall

What does writing on the wall mean?
Writing on the wall means an ominous warning; a prediction of bad luck.
How do you use writing on the wall in a sentence?
However, regardless of evil portents, prophetic despair and a great deal too much writing on the wall, I have managed so far to write two fairly cheerful musical comedies.
What part of speech is writing on the wall?
Writing on the wall is a noun.
How do you pronounce writing on the wall?
Writing on the wall is pronounced /ˈɹaɪtɪŋ ɒn ðə ˈwɔːl/ (UK).
What is the plural of writing on the wall?
The plural of writing on the wall is writings on the wall.

Words near writing on the wall in the dictionary

  1. writing lark
  2. writing larks
  3. writing master
  4. writing masters
  5. writing off
  6. writing on the wall
  7. writing one's own ticket
  8. writing out
  9. writing over
  10. writing pad
  11. writing pads

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: writing on the wall (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

Last updated:

Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: en-au-writing on the wall.ogg.

Cite this entry: “writing on the wall.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/writing_on_the_wall. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.