threatening

adjective

threat·en·ing ˈthret-niŋ

ˈthre-tᵊn-iŋ

Synonyms of threatening next

: 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-

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.

In a common method, participants reflect on their own death, while control groups consider less threatening topics, like dental pain. —

Discover Magazine, 8 Nov. 2024 This is largely because such individuals tend to focus more on negative experiences, interpreting even benign comments or actions from their partner as hostile or threatening. —

Mark Travers, Forbes, 19 Oct. 2024 After a prolonged and threatening interrogation, the janitor's teenage son, Skip, confesses and is taken out of town, while mobs gather, unhampered by law enforcement. —

arkansasonline.com, 5 Oct. 2024 However, this sketch gave us an incredible fake chimp making threatening gestures, so all’s forgiven. —

Joe Berkowitz, Vulture, 29 Sep. 2024 See all Example Sentences for threatening