threatening 1 of 2

adjective

ˈthret-niŋ How to pronounce threatening (audio)
Definition of threateningnext
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

threatening

2 of 2

verb

present participle of threaten
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

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 threatening
Adjective
Another person was also hit, and hospitalized with non-life threatening injuries, police said. — Mark Price, Charlotte Observer, 21 Sep. 2026 The second victim, 19-year-old freshman defensive back Kensley Macean, sustained injuries to the head and neck area and the left arm, but the injuries were determined to be non-life-threatening, police said. — Desiree Anello, PEOPLE, 20 Sep. 2026
Verb
Sea-level rise is one of the most visible signs of climate change, one that is threatening low-lying coastal communities around the world. — Robert Kopp, The Conversation, 30 Sep. 2026 The game, and thus the feature, centers on an elite unit of soldiers known as Helldivers who must battle alien creatures threatening to destroy the fictional planet of Super Earth. — Anthony D'alessandro, Deadline, 30 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for threatening
Recent Examples of Synonyms for threatening
  1. impending
  2. ominous
  3. dangerous
  4. menacing
  5. possible
  6. sinister
  7. hazardous
  8. endangering
Adjective
  • The New York Rangers had a revenue-sharing expense of $43 million last season, according to documents filed for their impending spinoff from Madison Square Garden Sports.
    — Kurt Badenhausen, Sportico.com, 29 Sep. 2026
  • Industry insiders had been anticipating the younger Blavatnik’s entry into the company for years, and speculation of his impending appointment had been growing louder over the past several months.
    — Ethan Millman, HollywoodReporter, 25 Sep. 2026
Definition of impending
Adjective
  • Hong Kong — Days before Hong Kong socialite Abby Choi was killed, her father-in-law and brother-in-law allegedly went on an ominous shopping spree.
    — Chris Lau, CNN Money, 2 Oct. 2026
  • And Jeremy is the handsome cipher, the seemingly long-suffering dreamboat of a husband who may or may not be harboring more ominous intentions.
    — Alison Willmore, Vulture, 1 Oct. 2026
Definition of ominous
Adjective
  • Wickline came on as an increasingly flustered Anthropic CEO, Dario Amodei, who’s explaining why AI is dangerous without taking any responsibility for that.
    — Rima Parikh, Vulture, 27 Sep. 2026
  • The slow-moving storm, which killed a New York City housing authority worker when a tree fell Saturday, was expected to linger through Sunday with heavy rain, strong winds and dangerous surf all the way to New England.
    — Leah Willingham, Los Angeles Times, 27 Sep. 2026
Definition of dangerous
Verb
  • Dennis Hopper won a Best Villain MTV Movie Award for menacing a bus in this film.
    — Hanna Rosin, The Atlantic, 20 Aug. 2026
  • He was charged with criminal use of a firearm and menacing a police officer.
    — Emma Seiwell, New York Daily News, 5 Aug. 2026
Definition of menacing
Adjective
  • The South's joint chiefs said Saturday the military stepped up surveillance and vigilance for possible further launches from the North and was closely sharing information with the United States and Japan.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 4 Oct. 2026
  • As Yemen returns to a level of fighting intensity not seen since the 2022 truce, the civil war has entered a decisive phase, with several possible avenues forward.
    — Brady Knox, The Washington Examiner, 4 Oct. 2026
Definition of possible
Adjective
  • Things are just a little less sinister in the song’s lyrics than in the way things play out on screen.
    — Chris Willman, Variety, 28 Sep. 2026
  • As the first three episodes unfold, the number keeps appearing in increasingly sinister ways — ultimately helping connect the season’s seemingly disparate characters and storylines.
    — Lexi Carson, HollywoodReporter, 25 Sep. 2026
Definition of sinister
Adjective
  • Officials urged residents to monitor forecasts as hazardous weather was expected through the weekend.
    — Leah Willingham, Los Angeles Times, 26 Sep. 2026
  • Atlanta’s snow-day reality When Atlanta gets meaningful snow or ice, AWD can help; but the larger problem is that the roads themselves become hazardous and other drivers may be unprepared.
    — Beth Livesay, AJC.com, 25 Sep. 2026
Definition of hazardous
Verb
  • Prosecutors also charged him with endangering their youngest child after deputies responded to the family’s home to talk with him and found their 2-year-old had been left home alone, according to court documents.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 1 Oct. 2026
  • The court accepted his plea and found Williams guilty of two counts of aggravated endangering a child, according to a news release from the office of the Leavenworth County Attorney.
    — Laura Bauer, Kansas City Star, 30 Sep. 2026
Definition of endangering

Browse Nearby Words

threatened
threatening
threatens
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Threatening.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/threatening. Accessed 4 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of adventitious

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

More Commonly Mispronounced Words

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

7 Great Ways to Say 'Great'

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

The Words of the Week - Oct. 2

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

7 Great Ways to Say 'Great'

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
name tags
Words Named After People Quiz Find out who’s behind "leotard," "morphine," an...
See All