What does "threatening" mean?

1. (scary or dangerous behavior) behaving in a way that shows you want to hurt someone or cause trouble. 2. (danger from nature or situations) showing signs that something bad, like a storm or a problem, is coming. 3. (the act of making a threat) the '-ing' form of the verb 'threaten', used to describe the action of saying you will hurt someone. 4. (the act itself) the act of making a threat against someone.

How do you use "threatening"?

Often used as an uncountable noun in legal or formal contexts.

threatening

adj. · v. · n.

US //ˈθɹɛtənɪŋ// UK //θɹˈɛtənɪŋ// threat·en·ing

1 scary or dangerous behavior (adj.)
B2 Upper Intermediate

behaving in a way that shows you want to hurt someone or cause trouble.

expressing or implying an intention to inflict pain, injury, or punishment. Often describes a person's tone, gestures, or written communication.

Example

The man's threatening tone made everyone in the room feel very uncomfortable.

Example

The witness reported receiving several threatening phone calls in the weeks leading up to the trial, which prompted the police to provide extra security.
2 danger from nature or situations (adj.)
B2 Upper Intermediate

showing signs that something bad, like a storm or a problem, is coming.

indicating a likely risk of harm or an impending unpleasant event, such as severe weather or a financial crisis.

Example

Dark, threatening clouds gathered over the mountains before the storm began.

Example

The sudden drop in the stock market was a threatening sign for the country's fragile economic recovery.
- ominous
- foreboding
- promising
- bright

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3 the act of making a threat (v.)
B2 Upper Intermediate

the '-ing' form of the verb 'threaten', used to describe the action of saying you will hurt someone.

the present participle of 'threaten', used in continuous tenses to describe the ongoing act of promising harm or indicating danger.

Example

He was arrested for threatening his neighbor during a loud argument about the fence.

Example

The company is currently threatening to close the factory unless the workers agree to a significant pay cut.
- warning
- menacing
4 the act itself (n.)
C1 Advanced Formal

the act of making a threat against someone.

the gerund form used as a noun to denote the specific instance or behavior of making threats.

Example

The law forbids the threatening of witnesses in a court case.

Example

The persistent threatening of staff members led to a complete overhaul of the office security protocols.

Usage

Often used as an uncountable noun in legal or formal contexts.
- intimidation

Etymology 1

From Middle English thretenyng, þreteninde, equivalent to threaten + -ing.

Etymology 2

From Middle English thretenyng, thretnynge, þretnynge, equivalent to threaten + -ing.