What does threatening mean?
Threatening means present participle and gerund of threaten.
Threatening
/ˈθɹɛtə.nɪŋ/ · verb
Meaning
present participle and gerund of threaten.
Definitions by Sense
- present participle and gerund of threaten
- Presenting a threat, posing a likely risk of harm.
- Making threats, making statements about a willingness to cause harm.
- An act of threatening; a threat.
Example Sentences
Never turn your back to someone who is displaying threatening behavior.
Fie, fie, vnknit that thretaning vnkinde brovv, / And dart not ſcornefull glances from thoſe eies, / To vvound thy Lord, thy King, thy Gouernour.
And nowe lorde beholde their threatenyngꝭ / and graunte vnto thy ſervauntꝭ wyth all confydence to ſpeake thy worde.
In Mr. J. C. Hotten’s Life, and in Mr. A. W. Ward’s admirable monograph in the “English Men of Letters” Series, a paper of mine called “Pincher Astray” is attributed to Dickens.
Synonyms for threatening
Antonyms for threatening
Related Words
Word Forms
- threatning
- more threatening
- most threatening
- threatenings
Usage Notes
Choose a synonym only when it preserves the intended meaning, tone, and grammar of the full sentence.
Practice and Learn More
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a synonym for threatening?
Common synonyms include minacious, menacing, baleful, threatensome.
What is the opposite of threatening?
The opposite depends on the specific sense.
How do you use threatening in a sentence?
Never turn your back to someone who is displaying threatening behavior.
Sources & Attribution
FreeDictionaryAPI.com / Wiktionary · Original source · CC BY-SA 4.0
Dictionary data is provided by FreeDictionaryAPI.com and sourced from Wiktionary under its stated license.