- present participle of menace.
menacing
Americanadjective
Synonym Usage
See ominous.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of menacing
First recorded in 1350–1400; menace ( def. ) + -ing 2 ( def. )
Explanation
Something that is menacing is threatening or suggestive of coming danger. If you’re backing away slowly from something, you can probably use the adjective menacing to describe it! Menacing means “threatening” — whether it’s on purpose or not. A menacing tone is intended to scare you, but that menacing raincloud isn’t actually trying to ruin your day. Menacing can describe the behavior of a menace, but only the mean or dangerous kind — not just a pest: "The raccoon that always knocks over your garbage can is a menace, but it's not menacing (unless it also chases you around your house)."
Vocabulary lists containing menacing
The Diary of Anne Frank
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"The Most Dangerous Game" by Richard Connell
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A Christmas Carol
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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.
You see their runs are really menacing, so I felt they were knocking on the door.
From BBC ● Oct. 4, 2026
The same grin can look menacing or jovial, depending on how Thatcher contorts the rest of her features.
From Salon ● Aug. 17, 2026
Blake was, by turns, crude, evasive, combative and menacing.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 30, 2026
In this sense, the Backrooms reveal how digital culture is beginning to reshape experiences traditionally associated with tourism, allowing for the mundane to become menacing.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 26, 2026
Suddenly he didn’t look so off and menacing.
From "The First State of Being" by Erin Entrada Kelly
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.
