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From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.44 [gcide]:
Threatening \Threat"en*ing\, a. & n. from {Threaten}, v. -- {Threat"en*ing*ly}, adverb
{Threatening letters} (Law), letters containing threats, especially those designed to extort money, or to obtain other property, by menaces; blackmailing letters.
From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.44 [gcide]:
Threaten \Threat"en\, verb (used with an object) [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.
Let us straitly threaten them, that they speak henceforth to no man in this name. --Acts iv. 17.
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.
The skies look grimly And threaten present blusters. --Shak.
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.
By turns put on the suppliant and the lord: Threatened this moment, and the next implored. --Prior.
Of the sharp ax Regardless, that o'er his devoted head Hangs menacing. --Somerville.
From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:
threatening
adjective
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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