threatened

1 of 2

adjective

threat·​ened ˈthre-tᵊnd 

: having an uncertain chance of continued survival

a threatened species

specifically : likely to become an endangered species

threatened

2 of 2

past tense and past participle of threaten

Examples of threatened in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

The threatened move out of California is another stick Ellison appears to be using to force you to think about a settlement. — Steven Zeitchik, HollywoodReporter, 19 Aug. 2026

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

Grizzly bears are considered a threatened species in Alberta. — Amber Harding Outkick, FOXNews.com, 26 July 2026

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

1960, in the meaning defined above