THREATENED Synonyms: 43 Similar and Opposite Words

threatened 1 of 2

adjective

Definition of threatened

as in endangered

Related Words

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Dissimilar Words

threatened

2 of 2

verb

past tense of threaten

as in menaced

to remain poised to inflict harm, danger, or distress on the powerful hurricane continues to threaten the southern coastline

Synonyms & Similar Words

Example Sentences

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.

Recent Examples of threatened

Adjective

Miami officials are investigating the unauthorized removal of nearly a dozen native mahogany trees along I-95 after families and environmental advocates found the threatened species cut down to stumps. — Abby Dodge, Miami Herald, 29 Aug. 2026 Expect instead that Lacey will be angry, threatened and furious. — Abigail Van Buren, Mercury News, 28 Aug. 2026

Verb

But the lawsuit threatened the ban on religious exemptions the legislature had passed. — Katy Golvala, Hartford Courant, 16 Sep. 2026 In a news release, Zahnd’s office said Johnson, who was employed by the Kansas City Police Department for about a decade until 2014, took the stand during the trial and testified in his own defense, saying that Barnett threatened his life. — Nathan Pilling, Kansas City Star, 16 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for threatened

Recent Examples of Synonyms for threatened

Adjective

The organizations' research also found that expanding deforestation linked to biomass production could impact undisturbed forests that serve as critical habitats for vulnerable and endangered species such as tarsiers, endemic buffalo and pigs.

— ABC News, ABC News, 13 Sep. 2026
At the same time, the administration has moved to weaken federal protections for endangered fish and other species.

— Ian James, Los Angeles Times, 9 Sep. 2026

Definition of endangered

Verb

He was menaced in the English countryside last month by a man shouting at him from 50 yards away, according to British outlet The Telegraph.

— Brian Niemietz, New York Daily News, 6 June 2026
The little people are being menaced by a dark force—a force with power, money, and very few moral inhibitions.

— Hanna Rosin, The Atlantic, 4 June 2026

Definition of menaced

Adjective

What must be decided is whether the party that deployed the agent will be held responsible, or whether the developer that built the foundational model should be liable for not anticipating how the model would be used.

— Bhaskar Chakravorti, Fortune, 20 Sep. 2026
The jury was asked whether Plazas Vega was individually liable for his treatment and death under the two legal theories presented by his daughters.

— Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald, 18 Sep. 2026

Definition of liable

Adjective

The fourth, the Indian rhinoceros, is vulnerable, its habitat shrinking rapidly as fragmented and isolated population groups spread across a shattered landscape littered with invasive plant species poisonous to the animals.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 22 Sep. 2026
The storms destroyed sections of a seawall and historic boardwalk in Long Beach, shuttered a long-vulnerable stretch of coastal railway in San Clemente, and further threatened Carlsbad Boulevard, also known as Old Highway 101, in Carlsbad.

— Grace Toohey, Los Angeles Times, 21 Sep. 2026

Definition of vulnerable

Adjective

Nearly 40% of Mount Pinos, lodgepole chipmunk, an imperiled subspecies of the lodgepole chipmunk, also live in roadless areas in California.

— Mariah Meek, The Conversation, 15 June 2026
There are many issues in the last year that show the commission needs a change at the top, including the Florida black bear hunt and the recent failure of the commissioners to fully, completely and finally stop the capture of wild imperiled and threatened marine life for exhibit.

— Joe Murphy, The Orlando Sentinel, 28 May 2026

Definition of imperiled

Adjective

Analysts say until there are clear guidelines on who can regulate prediction markets — possibly from the Supreme Court — DraftKings could be susceptible to headline volatility in the short term.

— Ananya Chetia, CNBC, 22 Sep. 2026
Yet in the twentieth century, when countries around the world prioritized the suppression of all wildfires, many areas became overgrown and susceptible to firestorms.

— Ingfei Chen, New Yorker, 18 Sep. 2026

Definition of susceptible

Adjective

The end result would be a gassy surface shining as brightly as a more exposed black hole but with the Balmer break and smooth red hump of a 5,000-kelvin star, de Graaff and Naidu theorized.

— Quanta Magazine, Quanta Magazine, 14 Sep. 2026
Morgan Stanley said Equinix and Digital Realty are less exposed because their facilities average roughly 5 to 10 megawatts, far below the gigawatt-scale AI campuses planned by hyperscalers and neocloud operators.

— Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 20 Aug. 2026

Definition of exposed

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“Threatened.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/threatened. Accessed 23 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of threatened

adjective

verb

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