minatory

[ min-uh-tawr-ee, -tohr-ee ]

See synonyms for minatory on Thesaurus.com

adjective

menacing; threatening.

Origin of minatory

First recorded in 1525–35; from Late Latin minātōrius “threatening,” from mināt(us), past participle of minārī “to threaten” (see menace) + -ōrius -ory¹

Also min·a·to·ri·al .

Other words from minatory

min·a·to·ri·ly, adverb

Words Nearby minatory

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use minatory in a sentence

But was it in virtue of his seeing armed Phantasms of St. Edmund 'on the rim of the horizon,' looking minatory on him?
Past and Present | Thomas Carlyle
His features had lost their delicately benevolent aspect; his words were minatory.
The Vanished Messenger | E. Phillips Oppenheim
Yet'—and he made his voice minatory—'in these evil and tickle times well it might have been that that letter held delicate news.
The Fifth Queen Crowned | Ford Madox Ford
But their protests became more urgent as we went on, their tone less minatory.
The Unveiling of Lhasa | Edmund Candler
She had requested the Pope to issue a minatory brief forbidding Parliament to meddle with her.
The Divorce of Catherine of Aragon | J.A. Froude

British Dictionary definitions for minatory

minatory

minatorial

/ (ˈmɪnətərɪ, -trɪ) /

adjective

threatening or menacing

Origin of minatory

C16: from Late Latin minātōrius, from Latin minārī to threaten

Derived forms of minatory

minatorily or minatorially, adverb

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Browse