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Definition of threatening adjective from the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

threatening

adjective
 
/ˈθretnɪŋ/
 
/ˈθretnɪŋ/
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  1. expressing a threat of harm or violence synonym menacing
    • threatening letters
    • threatening behaviour
    • The house seemed less threatening in daylight.
    opposite non-threatening
    Extra Examples
    • I found an extremely threatening message on my voicemail.
    • adopting a threatening posture towards an opponent
    Oxford Collocations Dictionaryverbs
    • appear
    • be
    • seem
    • …
    adverb
    • extremely
    • fairly
    • very
    • …
    See full entry
  2. (of the sky, clouds, etc.) showing that bad weather is likely
    • The sky was dark and threatening.
    Oxford Collocations Dictionaryverbs
    • appear
    • be
    • seem
    • …
    adverb
    • extremely
    • fairly
    • very
    • …
    See full entry
See threatening in the Oxford Advanced American DictionarySee threatening in the Oxford Learner's Dictionary of Academic English
Check pronunciation: threatening

Nearby words

pepper
noun
 
 
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