menacing

[ men-i-sing ]

adjective

1. expressing or serving as a menace or threat: menacing language.

   his menacing glare;

   menacing language.

Other Words From

• menac·ing·ly adverb
• non·menac·ing adjective
• un·menac·ing adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of menacing¹

First recorded in 1350–1400; menace ( def ) + -ing ²( def )

Synonym Study

See ominous.

Example Sentences

The franchise adds some intriguing new faces—Ana de Armas, who previously partnered with Craig in Knives Out—and Rami Malek, who plays the menacing villain Safin.

From Time

The real estate agent alleged that the woman had also become a menacing presence in the neighborhood.

From Washington Post

It was illustrated with a cartoon picture of a menacing Muslim man with a beard and prayer cap, beside a picture of a crying Hindu woman.

From Time

Like the story, Jessica Hung Han Yun’s lighting design becomes increasingly menacing as things move along.

From Washington Blade

The Ganges swells after monsoons that stretch from July to September and has a menacing look today, so people are avoiding it.

From Ozy

Two menacing Fargo-esque figures show up to complicate things.

From The Daily Beast

But the moment suggests to him that if he is awake, then his reality is truly stranger and more menacing than he ever imagined.

From The Daily Beast

And many of my Sikh friends have shared with me a history of racial slurs and menacing stares they have endured over the years.

From The Daily Beast

But an island any less menacing would fail to breed a villain who could hope to spar with James Bond.

From The Daily Beast

But it will take a lot more than castrating one menacing tantric to turn the tide.

From The Daily Beast

He saw the Theban Hills rolling their dark, menacing wave along the far horizon.

From Project Gutenberg

A black, menacing wall that rose before us suddenly resolved itself into a grove of trees, great four-foot cottonwoods.

From Project Gutenberg

It was like a child's drawing of a human eye, round, staring, and at the same time infinitely menacing.

From Project Gutenberg

And hardly a degree less menacing is this gigantic octapus of labor unionism—of inexcusable socialism.

From Project Gutenberg

She was about to proceed in this somewhat menacing manner, but the captain sprang up, excited, and red in the face.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• alarming
• dangerous
• frightening
• threatening