threatening
adjective
threat·en·ing
ˈthret-niŋ 
ˈthre-tᵊn-iŋ
: expressing or suggesting a threat of harm, danger, etc.
received a threatening message
a threatening manner
: indicating or suggesting the approach of possible trouble or danger
saw threatening clouds on the horizon
Examples of threatening in a Sentence
economists warning of a threatening recession
a threatening silence followed the loud thump in the adjoining motel room
threatening rocks lined that narrow stretch of the river through which we would be rafting
Recent Examples on the Web
Tel looked more threatening by the end of his loan spell, but Spurs might want to renegotiate with Bayern over the £45.7million fee to make his move permanent.
—
Jay Harris, New York Times, 29 May 2025
At the end of the first half, dos Santos only just got his fingertips to Mihailovic’s first — much more threatening — half-field shot.
—Braidon Nourse, Denver Post, 15 May 2025
Why the Fed is still playing it safe Trump’s pressure on the Fed to cut rates has been immense and increasingly threatening.
—Shannon Carroll, Quartz, 13 May 2025
But that ally could soon make the Middle East look a lot more threatening.
—Daniel Byman, The Atlantic, 24 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for threatening
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Jay Harris, New York Times, 29 May 2025
At the end of the first half, dos Santos only just got his fingertips to Mihailovic’s first — much more threatening — half-field shot.
—Braidon Nourse, Denver Post, 15 May 2025
Why the Fed is still playing it safe Trump’s pressure on the Fed to cut rates has been immense and increasingly threatening.
—Shannon Carroll, Quartz, 13 May 2025
But that ally could soon make the Middle East look a lot more threatening.
—Daniel Byman, The Atlantic, 24 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for threatening
Cite this Entry
“Threatening.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/threatening. Accessed 11 Jun. 2025.
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