threatened 1 of 2

adjective

Definition of threatenednext
as in endangered

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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
Donald Trump‘s ruse of hiding in an airport catering truck to secretly switch planes and evade a potential Iranian missile, leaving unwitting reporters and some White House staffers and cabinet members in the threatened Air Force One. — Greg Evans, Deadline, 15 Aug. 2026 That lawsuit names coho salmon, spotted owls, as well as a threatened seabird, the marbled murrelet, which lives largely out at sea but returns to old-growth coastal trees to nest, as species threatened by the change. — Lizzie Kane, Sacbee.com, 31 July 2026
Verb
Firefighters searched the building while attacking the flames, evacuating residents in areas directly threatened by the fire. — Sacbee.com, 11 Sep. 2026 The Houthis have threatened that route as well, striking a Saudi vessel in the north of the Red Sea in late August. — Fatma Khaled, Los Angeles Times, 11 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for threatened
Recent Examples of Synonyms for threatened
  1. endangered
  2. menaced
  3. liable
  4. vulnerable
  5. imperiled
  6. unsafe
  7. susceptible
  8. exposed
Adjective
  • 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
  • Snow leopards are an endangered species, sparsely distributed in mountainous terrain in the twelve countries that straddle the Himalaya and Central Asia.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 3 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
  • Twice this year, Uber was found liable for driver assaults of passengers.
    — Idaho Statesman, Idaho Statesman, 5 Sep. 2026
  • The Bayeux Tapestry is centuries old, torn in thousands of places, and liable to fray at the lightest touch.
    — John Phipps, New Yorker, 5 Sep. 2026
Definition of liable
Adjective
  • Her singing is melting and vulnerable yet charged with expectation.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 10 Sep. 2026
  • Recently, the end of TPS has left hundreds of thousands of Haitians in the US vulnerable to deportation – and advocates say fears are growing amid reports of intensifying enforcement.
    — Catherine E. Shoichet, CNN Money, 9 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
  • The plaintiffs, Priscilla Sterling, Raine Becker, Shawn Miller and John Bennett, alleged that the city knowingly allowed residents to drink unsafe water.
    — Karissa Waddick, USA Today, 7 Sep. 2026
  • Zumthor’s discussion of creating inner security and safety for me immediately evokes for me the specter of its opposite, the unsafe spaces, the spaces of destruction, the homes flattened in Ukraine, Yemen, Lebanon and Gaza.
    — Scott Roxborough, HollywoodReporter, 6 Sep. 2026
Definition of unsafe
Adjective
  • Without Micah Parsons, the Packers’ defensive front looks susceptible.
    — Matt Schneidman, New York Times, 11 Sep. 2026
  • Women who went into early menopause, smoked, have low body weight or have taken (or are currently taking) a GLP-1 are more susceptible to bone loss.
    — Helen Carefoot, Flow Space, 10 Sep. 2026
Definition of susceptible
Adjective
  • 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
  • The fact that my life is so exposed is incredibly complex for me.
    — Julyssa Lopez, Rolling Stone, 7 Aug. 2026
Definition of exposed

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threatened
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Cite this Entry

“Threatened.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/threatened. Accessed 13 Sep. 2026.

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