# threatening

/ˈθɹɛtənɪŋ/ (US) · /θɹˈɛtənɪŋ/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/threatening
Updated: 2026-06-19

## Senses

### 1. scary or dangerous behavior

adjective · CEFR B2

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

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

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

adjective · CEFR B2

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

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

- Dark, threatening clouds gathered over the mountains before the storm began.
- The sudden drop in the stock market was a threatening sign for the country's fragile economic recovery.

### 3. the act of making a threat

verb · CEFR B2

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

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

- He was arrested for threatening his neighbor during a loud argument about the fence.
- The company is currently threatening to close the factory unless the workers agree to a significant pay cut.

### 4. the act itself

noun · CEFR C1 · Formal

the act of making a threat against someone.

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

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

## Examples

- He received a threatening letter from an unknown person.
- The dark, heavy clouds looked threatening as the hikers reached the exposed mountain ridge.
- Witnesses described the suspect's behavior as increasingly threatening, noting that his aggressive posture and low, growling tone made everyone in the room feel physically unsafe.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.