Threatening definition

Threatening





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4 definitions found

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Threaten \Threat"en\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Threatened}; p. pr. &
     vb. n. {Threatening}.] [OE. [thorn]retenen. See {Threat}, v.
     t.]
     1. To utter threats against; to menace; to inspire with
        apprehension; to alarm, or attempt to alarm, as with the
        promise of something evil or disagreeable; to warn.


        [1913 Webster]
  
              Let us straitly threaten them, that they speak
              henceforth to no man in this name.    --Acts iv. 17.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     2. To exhibit the appearance of (something evil or
        unpleasant) as approaching; to indicate as impending; to
        announce the conditional infliction of; as, to threaten
        war; to threaten death. --Milton.
        [1913 Webster]
  
              The skies look grimly
              And threaten present blusters.        --Shak.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     Syn: To menace.
  
     Usage: {Threaten}, {Menace}. Threaten is Anglo-Saxon, and
            menace is Latin. As often happens, the former is the
            more familiar term; the latter is more employed in
            formal style. We are threatened with a drought; the
            country is menaced with war.
            [1913 Webster]
  
                  By turns put on the suppliant and the lord:
                  Threatened this moment, and the next implored.
                                                    --Prior.
            [1913 Webster]
  
                  Of the sharp ax
                  Regardless, that o'er his devoted head
                  Hangs menacing.                   --Somerville.
            [1913 Webster]

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Threatening \Threat"en*ing\,
     a. & n. from {Threaten}, v. -- {Threat"en*ing*ly}, adv.
     [1913 Webster]
  
     {Threatening letters} (Law), letters containing threats,
        especially those designed to extort money, or to obtain
        other property, by menaces; blackmailing letters.
        [1913 Webster]

From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:

  threatening
       adj 1: 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" [syn: {baleful}, {forbidding},
              {menacing}, {minacious}, {minatory}, {ominous}, {sinister},
               {ugly}]
       2: darkened by clouds; "a heavy sky" [syn: {heavy}, {lowering},
           {sullen}]

From Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0 [moby-thes]:

  101 Moby Thesaurus words for "threatening":
     about to be, abusive, alarming, already in sight, apocalyptic,
     approaching, at hand, bad, baleful, baneful, black, bludgeoning,
     blustering, bodeful, boding, brewing, browbeating, bulldozing,
     bullying, close, close at hand, coming, comminatory, critical,
     dangerous, dangersome, dark, denunciatory, dire, doomful, dreary,
     evil, evil-starred, explosive, fateful, fear-inspiring, foreboding,
     forthcoming, fraught with danger, future, gathering, gloomy,
     going to happen, hectoring, ill, ill-boding, ill-fated, ill-omened,
     ill-starred, immediate, imminent, impendent, impending,
     in danger imminent, in prospect, in reserve, in store,
     in the cards, in the offing, in the wind, in view, inauspicious,
     instant, intimidating, jeopardous, looming, lowering, lurking,
     menacing, minacious, minatory, near, near at hand, nearing,
     of evil portent, ominous, on the horizon, overhanging, parlous,
     periculous, perilous, portending, portentous, preparing, serious,
     sinister, somber, terroristic, terrorizing, that will be,
     threatful, to come, ugly, unfavorable, unfortunate, unlucky,
     unpromising, unpropitious, untoward, upcoming, waiting
  
  

















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