threatening
Americanadjective
-
tending or intended to menace.
threatening gestures.
-
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.
Samsung’s workers are demanding the company allocate 15% of its operating profit for bonuses and are threatening a general walkout from May 21 to June 7.
From Barron's • May 13, 2026
Some current and former officials, as well as Arctic security experts, told the BBC that Washington could have advanced its interests in Greenland without threatening a Nato ally in such strong terms.
From BBC • May 12, 2026
That’s why Gorsuch’s remarks felt so threatening to these figures.
From Salon • May 11, 2026
The videos, which surfaced in October, showed Porter yelling at a staff member and threatening to walk out of a television reporter’s interview.
From Los Angeles Times • May 11, 2026
The thunder kept threatening like a big old empty cloud clearing its throat.
From "Worth" by A. LaFaye
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.
