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.
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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.
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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.
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Of the sharp ax
Regardless, that o'er his devoted head
Hangs menacing. --Somerville.
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The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48
Threatening \Threat"en*ing\,
a. & n. from Threaten, v. --
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48
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]
WordNet (r) 2.0
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
Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0
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