threatening

adjective

threat·​en·​ing ˈthret-niŋ How to pronounce threatening (audio)
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
threateningly
ˈthret-niŋ-lē
ˈthre-tᵊn-iŋ- How to pronounce threatening (audio)
adverb
gestured threateningly

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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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

Word History

First Known Use

1530, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of threatening was in 1530

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Threatening.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/threatening. Accessed 10 Jun. 2025.

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