An act of threatening; a threat.
"The captain issued a final warning, but his words carried no real threatening weight against the storm."
In plain English: A threatening is an act that makes someone feel afraid they might get hurt soon.
"The threatening look on his face made everyone in the room nervous."
present participle of threaten
"The dark clouds loomed overhead, threatening a sudden storm."
In plain English: To threaten means to say you will hurt someone if they do not obey your demands.
"The storm clouds were threatening to break open by noon."
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"
Presenting a threat; menacing; frightening.
"The stormy sky was threatening, making everyone feel uneasy about the coming rain."
In plain English: Something threatening makes you feel scared because it looks like it might hurt someone or cause trouble soon.
"The dark clouds made the weather look threatening."
Usage: Use the adjective form to describe someone or something that appears dangerous, such as a threatening storm cloud or a threatening stranger. Avoid confusing this with "threatening" as a noun when you simply mean an actual warning rather than the menacing appearance itself.
The word threatening comes from Middle English thretenyng, which was formed by adding the suffix -ing to the verb threaten. This construction simply indicates the action or state of making a threat.