threatening

adjective
threat·ing
thrĕt′ənĭŋ

Presenting a threat, posing a likely risk of harm.

Example

“Never turn your back to someone who is displaying threatening behavior.”

Other meanings

Making threats, making statements about a willingness to cause harm.

Example sentences

“The injuries were serious but not life-threatening.”
Tatoeba · ddnktr · CC0
“Pollution was threatening the ecosystem every day.”
Tatoeba · Igider · CC0

Word history

From Middle English "thretenyng".

Where this comes from

This definition is adapted from “threatening” on Wiktionary, by its contributors; example sentences are from Tatoeba, credited to their authors above, published under CC BY-SA 4.0. This page is published under the same licence.