threatening

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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

threateningly

ˈthret-niŋ-lē, 

ˈthre-tᵊn-iŋ- 

adverb

gestured threateningly

threatening

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present participle of threaten

Synonyms of threatening

Adjective

• impending
• looming
• possible

Examples of threatening in a Sentence

Adjective

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

Adjective

Becerra’s campaign leaned into his milquetoast persona and crowned him Tío Xavier — Uncle Xavier — to market him as a non-threatening moderate who happened to be Latino. — Los Angeles Times, 4 Nov. 2026

In a separate incident, Modesto police cited a Riverbank High School student suspected of making a threatening social media post targeting Beyer following the fights. — Sacbee.com, 3 Nov. 2026

The injured person was taken to a hospital with injuries that were not life-threatening. — Senior Editor, CBS News, 3 Nov. 2026

The newest prosecution of Comey, because of a supposedly threatening arrangement of seashells on a beach, is equally unlikely to stand up under prevailing law. — David Baldacci, Vanity Fair, 3 Nov. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

1530, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing threatening

• life-threatening

Rhymes for threatening

• nonthreatening