✨📕 The NEWThe NEW Collegiate Dictionary, 12th Edition Over 5,000 words added — Buy Now! Collegiate DictionaryBuy Now!

threatened

adjective

threat·​ened ˈthre-tᵊnd How to pronounce threatened (audio)
: having an uncertain chance of continued survival
a threatened species
specifically : likely to become an endangered species

Examples of threatened in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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.
Prendergast added that some mining companies don’t survey for native bees, so there may be even more species out there, including those that are vital parts of threatened plants and ecosystems. Saleen Martin, USA Today, 11 Nov. 2025 Making people who are already threatened in the world more threatened. Rachel McRady, PEOPLE, 30 Oct. 2025 The series takes viewers around the world, highlighting the urgent mission to protect our planet's most threatened places. Maya Duclay, ABC News, 23 Oct. 2025 The town eventually backed down in the face of threatened litigation. Calmatters, Mercury News, 10 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for threatened

Word History

First Known Use

1960, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of threatened was in 1960

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Threatened.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/threatened. Accessed 27 Nov. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on threatened

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!