Verb
- 1. endanger, jeopardize, jeopardise, menace, threaten, imperil, peril, exist, be
- usage: pose a threat to; present a danger to; "The pollution is endangering the crops"
- 2. threaten, warn
- usage: to utter intentions of injury or punishment against:"He threatened me when I tried to call the police"
- 3. threaten, bode, portend, auspicate, prognosticate, omen, presage, betoken, foreshadow, augur, foretell, prefigure, forecast, predict
- usage: to be a menacing indication of something:"The clouds threaten rain"; "Danger threatens"
Adjective
- 1. baleful, forbidding, menacing, minacious, minatory, ominous, sinister, threatening, alarming (vs. unalarming)
- usage: threatening or foreshadowing evil or tragic developments; "a baleful look"; "forbidding thunderclouds"; "his tone became menacing"; "ominous rumblings of discontent"; "sinister storm clouds"; "a sinister smile"; "his threatening behavior"; "ugly black clouds"; "the situation became ugly"
- 2. heavy, lowering, sullen, threatening, cloudy (vs. clear)
- usage: darkened by clouds; "a heavy sky"
WordNet 3.0 Copyright © 2006 by Princeton University.
All rights reserved.Definition and meaning of threatening (Dictionary)