- present participle of threaten.
threatening
Americanadjective
-
tending or intended to menace.
threatening gestures.
-
causing alarm, as by being imminent; ominous; sinister.
threatening clouds.
Synonym Usage
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.
Lai’s office condemned acts carried out “with the aim of suppressing, threatening, or even harming advocates of freedom and democracy and their families,” Kuo said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 5, 2026
I’m no expert, but I don’t think their mating rituals involve using the New York Times to plead their case or, when that doesn’t work, threatening to move en masse to Tennessee.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 2, 2026
Both countries saw devastating fires, threatening cities and tourist hotspots.
From Barron's ● Oct. 1, 2026
The bad blood between the two teams escalated to the administrators of the game in each country and even turned into a diplomatic incident, threatening to strain relationships between governments.
From BBC ● Sep. 29, 2026
Which is why he did what he did when Bryce pushed things too far with Drake and seemed to be threatening her.
From "Clean Getaway" by Nic Stone
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.
