threatening
Americanadjective
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tending or intended to menace.
threatening gestures.
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causing alarm, as by being imminent; ominous; sinister.
threatening clouds.
Related Words
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of threatening
Explanation
Anything that's threatening is ominous, or scary on purpose. A bully's deep, threatening voice might frighten other children in the neighborhood. Threatening things are done in a way that expresses an intention to hurt someone. A threatening letter from your neighbor might warn of his plan to call the police if you play your music too loudly. Another neighbor angrily shaking a fist in the direction of your barking dog is threatening too. Unintentionally threatening things include looming storm clouds and terrifying waves crashing onto the beach after a hurricane.
Vocabulary lists containing threatening
myPerspectives 7.2
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Threatening a lawsuit, Winston settles with Miss Becka for her property, where he sets up shop as an auctioneer.
From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 17, 2025
Threatening an offensive featuring K-pop and other information deployed via balloons could be an important component of a campaign to influence the North Korean regime.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 19, 2024
Threatening to ignore their leaders and take charge of the situation themselves, lawmakers have been increasingly voting for Mattarella in the ballots, despite the fact that he himself has ruled out a second mandate.
From Reuters • Jan. 29, 2022
Threatening to do so only makes it easier for others to do the same, adding to the pressure on all to escalate quickly.
From Salon • Apr. 18, 2021
Threatening to do so was merely his idea of a joke, like dying of pneumonia, busting Colonel Moodus in the nose or challenging Doc Daneeka to Indian wrestle.
From "Catch-22" by Joseph Heller
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
