as in threat
something that may cause injury or harm
a loaded gun is a menace that this household doesn't need
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in to endanger
to place in danger
menaced the children by leaving them in the car unattended
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to threaten
to remain poised to inflict harm, danger, or distress on
stockpiles of nuclear weapons that continue to menace the inhabitants of this planet
Synonyms & Similar Words
1
as in ominous
being or showing a sign of evil or calamity to come
warns that the emergence of new viruses is one of the most menacing developments we face
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in dangerous
involving potential loss or injury
fears that the unemployment rate may be reaching menacing proportions
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in endangering
to place in danger
menaced the children by leaving them in the car unattended
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in threatening
to remain poised to inflict harm, danger, or distress on
stockpiles of nuclear weapons that continue to menace the inhabitants of this planet
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of menace
Bob Gendron, Chicago Tribune, 11 Apr. 2025
Cross transformed her sweet and altruistic Dr. Kimberly Shaw over the course of five seasons into an unpredictable — and unstable — menace.
—EW.com, 9 Apr. 2025
David Faris, Newsweek, 17 Mar. 2025
Among the Trump administration’s demands on Columbia University in return for restoring $400 million in funding was a ban on masks, which many peaceful protesters wear not to menace others but to avoid being identified by facial recognition.
—Gal Beckerman, The Atlantic, 5 Apr. 2025
Jeremy Hanna, MSNBC Newsweek, 15 May 2025
The trailer then becomes more menacing, and Egerton's character looks down the scope of a crossbow.
—Wesley Stenzel, EW.com, 14 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for menace
Noun
Brimming with boundless enthusiasm, White hit hard and fast, channeling a riveting blend of strident rawness and knife-edge menace that echoed a host of the rough-and-tumble blues predecessors who inspired him.
—Bob Gendron, Chicago Tribune, 11 Apr. 2025
Cross transformed her sweet and altruistic Dr. Kimberly Shaw over the course of five seasons into an unpredictable — and unstable — menace.
—EW.com, 9 Apr. 2025
Verb
Ukraine's navy does not have any large warships, but has worked alongside the other branches of Kyiv's military and security agencies to menace Russia's Black Sea Fleet based close to Ukraine's southern coastline.
—David Faris, Newsweek, 17 Mar. 2025
Among the Trump administration’s demands on Columbia University in return for restoring $400 million in funding was a ban on masks, which many peaceful protesters wear not to menace others but to avoid being identified by facial recognition.
—Gal Beckerman, The Atlantic, 5 Apr. 2025
Adjective
Ripley would be excellent with the briefcase, likely utilizing it in menacing fashion rather than being sneaky.
—Jeremy Hanna, MSNBC Newsweek, 15 May 2025
The trailer then becomes more menacing, and Egerton's character looks down the scope of a crossbow.
—Wesley Stenzel, EW.com, 14 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for menace
Recent Examples of Synonyms for menace
Noun
-
Residents and businesses across Chicago already face a high tax and fee burden and worry about shouldering more costs amid widespread economic uncertainty due to rising tariffs, persistent inflation, state and local budget deficits and unprecedented threats to critical federal funding.—
Jack Lavin,
Chicago Tribune,
20 May 2025
-
In cybersecurity, while threats evolve, some core challenges remain unchanged.—
Darren Guccione,
Forbes.com,
20 May 2025
Adjective
-
There’s a shift in the second to last episode when Michaela suddenly becomes not ridiculous or ominous, but self-aware and human and someone who very clearly sees what a fraud her life has been.—
Nina Metz,
Chicago Tribune,
22 May 2025
-
In a small 18th-century English village, locals hear ominous barking.—
Shannon Carlin,
Time,
22 May 2025
Adjective
-
Even ejecting from the aircraft can be dangerous and traumatic.—
Olivia B. Waxman,
Time,
24 May 2025
-
This, in effect, frames even the movie’s unrelated, apolitical happenings as being at the mercy of this dangerous future, backed by Western powers.—
Siddhant Adlakha,
Variety,
24 May 2025
Noun
-
Scientists with Oceana and governmental and conservation organizations say the whales also face dangers from entanglement in commercial crabbing and fishing gear and vessel strikes.—
Dinah Voyles Pulver,
USA Today,
23 May 2025
-
All the students in the class at the Small Fish Big Fish swim school had autism, a developmental disorder linked to a higher-than-average danger of drowning.—
Jennifer Peltz,
The Orlando Sentinel,
21 May 2025
Adjective
-
With the two men mismatched in temperament and direction, Diller was gone in a year and a half—fleeing one sinister Davis (Martin) for the arms of another, equally sinister one (Marvin), who controlled Twentieth Century Fox.—
Adam Gopnik,
New Yorker,
19 May 2025
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Though it was written around the time of Malibu’s Woolsey fire, the 14-minute long dirge that encompasses flames in Malibu and a cougar that roams the hills took on a new and sinister meaning in the aftermath of the more recent fires.—
Chris Willman,
Variety,
19 May 2025
Adjective
-
The cities with some of the highest rates of poverty and the most people of color have borne the burden of the state’s hazardous waste facilities.—
Sarah McCoy,
Hartford Courant,
18 May 2025
-
Understanding the gravity of a red flag warning and adhering to these precautions is pivotal in reducing the risk of wildfires during these hazardous conditions.—
CA Weather Bot,
Sacbee.com,
17 May 2025
Adjective
-
But that ally could soon make the Middle East look a lot more threatening.—
Daniel Byman,
The Atlantic,
24 May 2025
-
The risks and costs of this crisis are a thousand times more threatening to our country than COVID-19.—
Jordan King,
MSNBC Newsweek,
23 May 2025
Adjective
-
However, the state remains in one of the most perilous parts of the U.S. coastline for rising sea levels.—
Theo Burman,
MSNBC Newsweek,
18 May 2025
-
So Far After the duo were able to make it all the way from Jackson to Seattle without incident, the city itself quickly proves perilous.—
Alan Sepinwall,
Rolling Stone,
4 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Menace.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/menace. Accessed 27 May. 2025.
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