1
as in ominous
being or showing a sign of evil or calamity to come
warns that the emergence of new viruses is one of the most menacing developments we face
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in dangerous
involving potential loss or injury
fears that the unemployment rate may be reaching menacing proportions
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in endangering
to place in danger
menaced the children by leaving them in the car unattended
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in threatening
to remain poised to inflict harm, danger, or distress on
stockpiles of nuclear weapons that continue to menace the inhabitants of this planet
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Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of menacing
Chris Young Ritzen, CBS News, 10 May 2025
The movie itself is something of a trip; everything feels coated in a faint, menacing sheen of unreality, as if a slasher movie were just a wild twist or two away.
—Justin Chang, New Yorker, 16 May 2025
Death emerged from the world around these characters, seemingly wielded by a menacing unseen force.
—Katie Walsh, Boston Herald, 15 May 2025
Assistant District Attorney Timothy Collins said the boy has a record, having previously been charged in Family Court with assault and menacing with a weapon.
—Thomas Tracy, New York Daily News, 15 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for menacing
Adjective
Police arrested Doyle and charged him with menacing, harassment and trespassing.
—Chris Young Ritzen, CBS News, 10 May 2025
The movie itself is something of a trip; everything feels coated in a faint, menacing sheen of unreality, as if a slasher movie were just a wild twist or two away.
—Justin Chang, New Yorker, 16 May 2025
Death emerged from the world around these characters, seemingly wielded by a menacing unseen force.
—Katie Walsh, Boston Herald, 15 May 2025
Assistant District Attorney Timothy Collins said the boy has a record, having previously been charged in Family Court with assault and menacing with a weapon.
—Thomas Tracy, New York Daily News, 15 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for menacing
Recent Examples of Synonyms for menacing
Adjective
-
In a small 18th-century English village, locals hear ominous barking.—
Shannon Carlin,
Time,
22 May 2025
-
There’s a shift in the second to last episode when Michaela suddenly becomes not ridiculous or ominous, but self-aware and human and someone who very clearly sees what a fraud her life has been.—
Nina Metz,
Chicago Tribune,
22 May 2025
Adjective
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This, in effect, frames even the movie’s unrelated, apolitical happenings as being at the mercy of this dangerous future, backed by Western powers.—
Siddhant Adlakha,
Variety,
24 May 2025
-
Mensah and Bharadwaj take dangerous risks exploring an unknown area while Gurathin confronts Murderbot.—
Billie Melissa,
MSNBC Newsweek,
24 May 2025
Verb
-
Officers are rarely — if ever — punished for hitting or endangering bystanders.—
Shelby Grad,
Los Angeles Times,
13 Mar. 2025
-
Still others chase a motorbike onto the sidewalk, endangering nearby pedestrians.—
Eric Umansky,
ProPublica,
11 Mar. 2025
Verb
-
Richard curses again, threatening Blum.—
Carol Marbin Miller,
Miami Herald,
8 Jan. 2025
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The Palisades fire has garnered headlines, but the Hurst and Eaton fires have also been threatening very populated areas.—
Marshall Shepherd,
Forbes,
8 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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Though it was written around the time of Malibu’s Woolsey fire, the 14-minute long dirge that encompasses flames in Malibu and a cougar that roams the hills took on a new and sinister meaning in the aftermath of the more recent fires.—
Chris Willman,
Variety,
19 May 2025
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With the two men mismatched in temperament and direction, Diller was gone in a year and a half—fleeing one sinister Davis (Martin) for the arms of another, equally sinister one (Marvin), who controlled Twentieth Century Fox.—
Adam Gopnik,
New Yorker,
19 May 2025
Adjective
-
Other parts of the southeastern US could see hazardous weather Friday afternoon and evening.—
Alaa Elassar,
CNN Money,
30 May 2025
-
However, a small portion of them, known as potentially hazardous asteroids (PHAs), do require close monitoring.—
Soo Kim,
MSNBC Newsweek,
22 May 2025
Adjective
-
The first season traces Ellie and Joel’s perilous journey, punctuated by attacks by the infected, the depredations of groups of raiders, and betrayals galore by would-be allies.—
Michael M. Rosen,
The Washington Examiner,
30 May 2025
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One brother, guided by moral duty, convinces the other to help the mother and join a perilous investigation to find the child.—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
26 May 2025
Adjective
-
Not mentioned in the CIT decision—and likely riskier—is section 338 of the Tariff Act of 1930.—
Jill Goldenziel,
Forbes.com,
1 June 2025
-
But scoring just one run as the road team in extras is always risky, and the Red Sox got burned again when Lexington’s Sal Frelick (4 for 5) beat Justin Slaten to the first base bag for an infield single to lead off the bottom of the 10th.—
Mac Cerullo,
Boston Herald,
28 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Menacing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/menacing. Accessed 4 Jun. 2025.
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