Threatening — meaning, pronunciation & more

Definition

pose a threat to; present a danger to

to utter intentions of injury or punishment against:

Pronunciation

🇺🇸American English

/θɹˈɛʔn̩ɪŋ/

🇬🇧British English

/θɹˈɛtənɪŋ/

🇮🇳Indian English

/θɹˈɛtənɪŋ/

3 syllables Say it as /θɹˈɛʔn̩ɪŋ/.

Examples

The pollution is endangering the crops
He threatened me when I tried to call the police
The clouds threaten rain

Synonyms & Antonyms

Synonyms

sullen minatory menace lowering peril jeopardize baleful menacing threaten jeopardise minacious ominous endanger sinister heavy imperil forbidding

Parts of Speech

verb	pose a threat to; present a danger to “The pollution is endangering the crops”
verb	to utter intentions of injury or punishment against: “He threatened me when I tried to call the police”
verb	to be a menacing indication of something: “The clouds threaten rain”
adjective	threatening or foreshadowing evil or tragic developments “a baleful look”
adjective	darkened by clouds “a heavy sky”

Word Forms

jeopardy	noun	a source of danger; a possibility of incurring loss or misfortune
menace	noun	something that is a source of danger
peril	noun	a state of danger involving risk
balefulness	noun	the quality or nature of being harmful or evil
omen	noun	a sign of something about to happen
sullenness	noun	a gloomy ill-tempered feeling

Around the World

Europe

🇩🇪German

bedrohlich

eine Bedrohung darstellen für; eine Gefahr darstellen

🇫🇷French

menaçant

constituer une menace pour ; présenter un danger pour

🇪🇸Spanish

amenazante

representar una amenaza para; presentar un peligro para

🇮🇹Italian

minaccioso

rappresentare una minaccia per; presentare un pericolo per

🇳🇱Dutch

bedreigend

een bedreiging vormen voor; een gevaar opleveren

🇵🇹Portuguese

ameaçador

representar uma ameaça para; apresentar um perigo para

🇷🇺Russian

угрожающий

представлять угрозу; представлять опасность для

India

🇮🇳Hindi

धमकी

के लिए ख़तरा उत्पन्न करना; के लिए खतरा प्रस्तुत करें

🇧🇩Bengali

হুমকি

একটি হুমকি জাহির করা; একটি বিপদ উপস্থাপন

🇮🇳Tamil

அச்சுறுத்தும்

அச்சுறுத்தலை ஏற்படுத்துகிறது; ஒரு ஆபத்தை முன்வைக்கிறது

🇮🇳Telugu

బెదిరింపు

ముప్పు కలిగించు; ఒక ప్రమాదాన్ని ప్రదర్శించండి

🇮🇳Marathi

धमकी देणे

धोका निर्माण करणे; साठी धोका दर्शवितो

🇮🇳Gujarati

ધમકી આપનાર

માટે જોખમ ઊભું કરવું; માટે જોખમ રજૂ કરે છે

🇮🇳Kannada

ಬೆದರಿಕೆ ಹಾಕುತ್ತಿದ್ದಾರೆ

ಬೆದರಿಕೆಯನ್ನು ಉಂಟುಮಾಡುತ್ತದೆ; ಅಪಾಯವನ್ನು ಪ್ರಸ್ತುತಪಡಿಸುತ್ತದೆ

🇮🇳Malayalam

ഭീഷണിപ്പെടുത്തുന്നു

ഒരു ഭീഷണി ഉയർത്തുക; ഒരു അപകടം അവതരിപ്പിക്കുക

🇮🇳Punjabi

ਧਮਕੀ

ਨੂੰ ਖ਼ਤਰਾ ਪੈਦਾ ਕਰਨਾ; ਨੂੰ ਖ਼ਤਰਾ ਪੇਸ਼ ਕਰਦਾ ਹੈ

🇵🇰Urdu

دھمکی دینے والا

کو خطرہ لاحق کو خطرہ پیش کرتے ہیں۔

East & Southeast Asia

🇨🇳Chinese

威胁

构成威胁；构成危险

🇯🇵Japanese

脅迫的な

に脅威を与える。～に危険をもたらす

🇰🇷Korean

험악한

위협을 가하다; ~에게 위험을 초래하다

🇻🇳Vietnamese

đe dọa

gây ra mối đe dọa; gây nguy hiểm cho

🇹🇭Thai

คุกคาม

ก่อให้เกิดภัยคุกคามต่อ; ก่อให้เกิดอันตรายต่อ

🇮🇩Indonesian

mengancam

menimbulkan ancaman terhadap; menghadirkan bahaya bagi

🇵🇭Filipino

pagbabanta

magdulot ng banta sa; nagpapakita ng panganib sa

🇲🇾Malay

mengancam

menimbulkan ancaman kepada; mendatangkan bahaya kepada

Middle East

🇸🇦Arabic

تهديد

تشكل تهديدا ل؛ تشكل خطرا على

🇮🇷Persian

تهدید کننده

تهدیدی برای؛ خطری برای

🇹🇷Turkish

tehdit edici

için tehdit oluşturmak; için tehlike arz etmek

🇮🇱Hebrew

מְאַיֵם

להוות איום על; מהווה סכנה ל

Test Yourself1 / 3

What is the primary definition of the word 'threatening'?

The primary meaning of 'threatening' is 'pose a threat to; present a danger to'.

Which of the following sentences uses the word 'threatening' in a grammatically correct way?

Using 'threatening' in a noun/adjective form makes the first sentence correct.

In which domain is the word 'threatening' most likely to appear as standard vocabulary?

'threatening' is a standard word used primarily in general literature and formal communications.

Community Poll1 / 6

How often do you encounter the word 'threatening' in your daily reading?

Very Often

Occasionally

Rarely

Never

Do you find 'threatening' easy to spell?

Yes, very easy

Somewhat easy

A bit confusing

Extremely hard

In your opinion, does the word 'threatening' have a positive, neutral, or gloomy tone?

Positive

Neutral

Gloomy

Vibrant

Which age group is most likely to use 'threatening' in regular conversations?

Kids (3-12)

Teens (13-19)

Adults (20-60)

Seniors (60+)

How likely are you to use 'threatening' in a professional email?

Very likely

Somewhat likely

Not very likely

Never

Would you classify 'threatening' as formal, casual, or slang?

Formal

Casual

Slang

Archaic

Pick an option to see how others voted