1
as in impending
giving signs of immediate occurrence
economists warning of a threatening recession
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in ominous
being or showing a sign of evil or calamity to come
a threatening silence followed the loud thump in the adjoining motel room
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in dangerous
involving potential loss or injury
threatening rocks lined that narrow stretch of the river through which we would be rafting
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in menacing
to remain poised to inflict harm, danger, or distress on
the powerful hurricane continues to threaten the southern coastline
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of threatening
John Hollinger, The Athletic, 10 Jan. 2025
In this scenario, Kharkiv will be the beneficiary, not the sad victim, of its location just miles from a threatening and powerful adversary.
—Howard Lafranchi, The Christian Science Monitor, 8 Jan. 2025
Carol Marbin Miller, Miami Herald, 8 Jan. 2025
The Palisades fire has garnered headlines, but the Hurst and Eaton fires have also been threatening very populated areas.
—Marshall Shepherd, Forbes, 8 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for threatening 
Adjective
Consider, say, a deal that attached Green to two seconds for an upgrade at backup center or backup point guard, or to get one more threatening shooter in the mix.
—John Hollinger, The Athletic, 10 Jan. 2025
In this scenario, Kharkiv will be the beneficiary, not the sad victim, of its location just miles from a threatening and powerful adversary.
—Howard Lafranchi, The Christian Science Monitor, 8 Jan. 2025
Verb
Richard curses again, threatening Blum.
—Carol Marbin Miller, Miami Herald, 8 Jan. 2025
The Palisades fire has garnered headlines, but the Hurst and Eaton fires have also been threatening very populated areas.
—Marshall Shepherd, Forbes, 8 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for threatening
Recent Examples of Synonyms for threatening
Adjective
-
The impending return of U.S. President-elect Donald Trump to the White House on January 20 is expected to reignite tensions.—
Michael Gfoeller And David H. Rundell,
Newsweek,
15 Jan. 2025
-
With an impending ban of TikTok looming, many users of the popular video-sharing app are heading to alternative platforms.—
Peter Suciu,
Forbes,
15 Jan. 2025
Adjective
-
His bruises caught by the window’s light, his good side cast in ominous shadow, Martian’s focus shifts from the people on the other side of the glass to the man staring back at him in it.—
Ben Travers,
IndieWire,
24 Jan. 2025
-
The second season of The Night Agent shows Peter on the other end of the line for that ominous White House basement phone.—
Emily Blackwood,
People.com,
23 Jan. 2025
Adjective
-
Inappropriate links in search results get a red highlight and icon, just like dangerous links.—
PCMAG,
PCMAG,
24 Jan. 2025
-
The lack of rain came as seven separate Santa Ana wind events hit Southern California in January alone, Tardy said, a dangerous combination in creating fire weather conditions as the air and vegetation dry out, making brush especially flammable.—
Rong-Gong Lin II,
Los Angeles Times,
24 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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The Alaska story represents Perkins’ tireless brainstorming of ways to help and also, perhaps, her blind spot to a more sinister history of American settler colonialism.—
Sara Georgini,
Smithsonian Magazine,
21 Jan. 2025
-
After Season 1 introduced viewers to the offbeat, sinister world of Lumon Industries, the Innies that make up its workforce, and the Outies compartmentalizing their lives, Season 2 is now unfolding deeper, stranger intricacies that speak to how corporations deal with dissenters.—
Harrison Richlin,
IndieWire,
19 Jan. 2025
Adjective
-
After the Marshall Fire, hazardous gases associated with the wildfire smoke, such as benzene and naphthalene, could be detected in homes downwind of the fire long after the burns were put out.—
Alejandra Borunda,
NPR,
19 Jan. 2025
-
Cold weather and hazardous travel conditions may lead to a smaller turnout for Trump's inauguration weekend.—
David Faris,
Newsweek,
19 Jan. 2025
Verb
-
Wilson, 46, is charged with murder, manslaughter and endangering the welfare of a child for the explosion of violence inside the victim’s apartment on Macombs Road near Inwood Ave.—
John Annese,
New York Daily News,
21 Dec. 2024
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Cloe Workman, 20, is charged in Hamilton County Municipal Court with misdemeanor child endangering and domestic violence.—
Cameron Knight,
The Enquirer,
20 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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Sources familiar with the probe say SEC investigators are looking at what Ruiz’s company represented to investors about its value and other possible securities violations.—
Ben Wieder and,
Miami Herald,
17 Jan. 2025
-
During the day, open curtains and blinds to let in as much light as possible.—
Cathy Habas,
SELF,
17 Jan. 2025
Adjective
-
That inter-zone between the two is where Lynch lived his entire professional life: in his paintings and writings, shorts and TV shows, and even his daily online weather reports, which somehow took on both a boyish and a menacing quality.—
David Fear,
Rolling Stone,
16 Jan. 2025
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The first of them holds all of the story’s promise, as a tense prologue introduces us to a pre-teen kid named Blake, whose military-like father (Sam Jaeger, all menacing toxic machismo) is hell-bent upon teaching his son how to survive the world on his own.—
David Ehrlich,
IndieWire,
15 Jan. 2025
Thesaurus Entries Near threatening
Cite this Entry
“Threatening.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/threatening. Accessed 31 Jan. 2025.
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