Synonyms

threatening

American

[thret-n-ing] / ˈθrɛt n ɪŋ /

adjective

tending or intended to menace.

threatening gestures.
causing alarm, as by being imminent; ominous; sinister.

threatening clouds.

Related Words

See imminent, ominous.

Other Word Forms

nonthreatening adjective
nonthreateningly adverb
threateningly adverb
unthreatening adjective
unthreateningly adverb

Etymology

Origin of threatening

First recorded in 1520–30; threaten + -ing ²

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.

Flooding can trigger sewage releases into rivers and estuaries, threatening wildlife with disease and toxic water, "exaggerating the number of wildlife death events".

From BBC

Washington has used a carrot-and-stick approach with Rodriguez, praising her for welcoming US oil companies but at the same time threatening Venezuela with punishment if she does not cooperate.

From Barron's

A surge in energy costs could stoke inflation, threatening the global economy and prompting central banks to halt interest-rate cuts.

From The Wall Street Journal

The BBC asked Drone to Home and James about all of these matters, and he responded by disputing the claims and threatening the corporation with legal action.

From BBC

The former official added that the DoD's basis for threatening Anthropic with invoking either the Defense Production Act and being labeled a supply chain risk was "extremely flimsy".

From BBC

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023