- 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.
A second was arrested but remains in hospital with serious but non-life threatening injuries.
From BBC ● Jul. 25, 2026
In a statement published in the Virginian-Pilot, Truelove said he drove to Granby High School in Norfolk because he thought bullies were threatening the school.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 24, 2026
The fines could rise further if Google fails to comply within 60 days, the Commission said, threatening it with "periodic penalty payments".
From Barron's ● Jul. 23, 2026
Renewed fighting has sent oil and natural-gas prices back up, threatening to drive inflation further away from the ECB’s 2% target.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 23, 2026
And Finn had tear tracks down his cheeks, along with a bubble of snot threatening to balloon out of one of his nostrils.
From "The Strangers" by Margaret Peterson Haddix
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.
