threatening

[ thret-n-ing ]
See synonyms for threatening on Thesaurus.com
adjective
  1. tending or intended to menace: threatening gestures.

  2. causing alarm, as by being imminent; ominous; sinister: threatening clouds.

Origin of threatening

1
First recorded in 1520–30; threaten + -ing2

synonym study For threatening

2. See imminent, ominous.

Other words from threatening

  • threat·en·ing·ly, adverb
  • non·threat·en·ing, adjective
  • non·threat·en·ing·ly, adverb
  • un·threat·en·ing, adjective
  • un·threat·en·ing·ly, adverb

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use threatening in a sentence