Threatening Body Language: 21 Hostile Cues to Never Ignore

March 10, 2025January 20, 20252 Comments

‘Want to know how to read threatening body language so you can protect yourself before bullies have a chance to hurt you? Here are 21 Nonverbal bullying signals you must know about.

Body Language Speaks Louder Than Words. Words have power, yes. But without the body language that goes with them, they’re only static- empty noise.

Seasoned bullies often don’t use words to intimidate you. They threaten you with their body language because it’s less detectable than words.

Therefore, in this post you will learn to read threatening body language so that you can be aware and protect yourself before anything bad happens.

Once you learn all about this life-saving information, you will be more alert when bullies try to intimidate you. As a result, you’ll be better prepared to stand up to them or remove yourself from the situation.

This post is all about threatening body language, what it means, and how you can respond to it properly to defend yourself from bullies.

Threatening body language

If you’re stuck in an environment that’s peppered with bullies, the ability to read even the most subtle cues is a must. Bullies are masters at hiding their imperfections, their motives, and their intentions.

Therefore, you must pick up on what they try to conceal, and you can only do it by correctly observing their most subtle cues and pantomimes.

Every movement, even the tiniest, from eye movements to gestures, holds a wealth of information. Moreover, every body position and stance also hold info. Everything people do or don’t do conveys a message. We are forever communicating.

Therefore let’s get right into it. Here are all the threatening body language cues you’re likely to get from bullies.

1. Eyes- That Creepy Piercing Glare.

The bully’s eyebrows narrow and their eyes bore into you without blinking. The head does not move. Moreover, the person stares you down as if they want to attack you.

Understand that bullies do this number to either challenge or intimidate you. Therefore, you must return the same stare to the bully and they’ll likely go away.

2. Nose- The Nostril Flare.

You’ve seen the nostrils of a bull flare when the animal is about to charge a matador. It’s the same with bullies.

When a bully wants to harm you, their nostrils flare to take in the extra oxygen needed for a possible physical attack. In other words, when a person’s nostrils flare at you, look out!

Why? Because it is a sign the bully is about to physically attack you. Therefore, keep your eyes peeled and be prepared to defend yourself.

3. Threatening body Language:

Jaw- The Jaw Clinch.

The bully is gritting his teeth at you and hiding it. When this happens, you’ll notice the jaws protruding. The bully either pulls this move to intimidate or in preparation for a fight.

Again, this is a sign of a possible physical attack. Don’t ignore it. Stay vigilant.

4. Mouth- Pursing of the Lips, the One-Sided Upper-Lip Raise, Baring of the teeth (snarling).

There are many expressions bullies use with their mouths.

Pursed lips. Lip pursing looks like the lips are thinned out and pushing together hard. Moreover, pursed lips are a sign of anger and hostility. However, pay attention to context because they can also signal concentration and decision-making.
The One-Sided Upper-lip Raise is a clear sign of contempt or disgust. Coupled with a glare, the message is even clearer. The person loathes you.
Baring of the teeth or snarling. Another thing bullies may do with their mouths is bare their teeth or snarl at you. This is a way for them to threaten and intimidate you. Again, return the expression but be prepared.

Therefore, don’t look away. Instead, return the sentiment to show the bully that the feelings are mutual and you aren’t intimidated. Chances are that the bully will likely shift their eyes away from you.

However, if they don’t keep your guard up and prepare to defend yourself.

5. Threatening Body Language:

Chin- The Jutted Chin.

The bully tilts the head back and juts his chin forward strictly to down his nose at you. Therefore, when the bully does this, he is either challenging you, trying to intimidate you, or he truly thinks he’s superior.

Again, return the sentiment and the bully will likely back down.

6. Neck- The Exposed Neck.

The bully will expose and lengthen the neck to challenge you. People do this to show that they aren’t afraid of the person in front of them and can hold their own if necessary.

Moreover, bullies do it to make themselves appear taller and to intimidate anyone in their way. Again, reflect the gesture back to the bully and he’ll likely leave you alone.

7. Shoulders- The Shoulder Throw.

Bullies will often throw their shoulders back to convey confidence and power. Therefore, if you want to appear confident, never slouch the shoulders. Always stand up straight, tall, and with your shoulders back.

8. Chest- The Puffed-Out Chest.

The bully’s chest puffs outward toward you. Also, the chest fills with extra air in preparation for a possible fight. In other words, this is not only done to make the bully look bigger and to intimate you, but also a sign of a coming physical attack.

Be aware and be prepared.

9. Threatening body language:

Arms- Arms Akimbo.

The arms of a bully are often akimbo (elbows out, hands on hips, thumbs forward). This makes the bully appear bigger and more powerful.

Also, bullies use this gesture to intimidate you and show power and superiority over you. Therefore, to raise your chances of warding off these creeps, stand with power, and send the message that you won’t be a victim.

10. Crossed Arms.

When coupled with the jutted chin, bullies will also cross their arms anytime they’re facing you. Crossed arms are not only a sign of superiority and power, they also convey closed body language.

Why? Because, when a bully crosses his arms when facing you, it means they are “closed” to anything you have to say.

However, note that victims will also cross their arms when a bully confronts them. However, the difference is that they cross their arms to avoid a possible attack to the torso. In this context, crossed arms signal intimidation.

Victims may also throw their hands and arms in front of their face and neck. Instead of using the jutted chin, a victim will lower the head, hide the neck, and slouch. This is where paying attention to clustered body language comes in.

To keep bullies away, never slouch, lower the head nor hide the neck. You must always look confident and mirror the bully’s body language back to them or they’ll eat you alive!

11. Threatening Body Language:

Hands- The Clenching Fists.

The bully will often clench their fists when they want to physically attack you. Therefore, always see this as a sign the person wants to harm you and be ready in case they do.

12. Mid-Section- The Crotch Expose.

This is done mostly by boys and men. Although it is a sign of sexual interest in a potential mate, it can also be used to intimidate you and to assert dominance and power.

You’ll know the difference by the context.

If you are male, take a power pose. On the other hand, if you are female and this is used by a male bully for intimidation, stand facing the bully.

When you face your bully, do so with your feet apart and hands on your hips. Then challenge him with a death glare.

You can also give him a dismissive look and walk away.

13. Legs- Legs Apart.

Again, most bullies stand with their feet shoulder-width apart to appear bigger and more powerful. Confident people also stand this way.

Therefore, if you want to appear confident and keep bullies at bay, this is how you should stand.

The Dominant Leg Back-step.

This is when the bully steps back with their dominant leg. Boxers in the ring do this just before putting up their dukes!

Therefore, if you see the bully step back with one leg, either get clear or be prepared to fight!

14. Threatening Body Language:

Feet- The Toe Point.

Again, you must pay attention to the whole body to get an accurate reading. The toes always point to where the person wants to go.

If a person likes you and enjoys your company, their toes will always point in your direction. Whereas, if the person doesn’t like you or is afraid of you, they will want to get away from you and their toes will always point away from you.

However, if a bully wants to attack you, their toes will also point in your direction. You’ll know the difference by the context and other cues their body will give you. It pays to observe!

Threatening Body Language:

Putting it all together

Dominance and Superiority Body Language

15. Bullies take up lots of space to appear bigger.

You will often see bullies place their hands on their hips and stand extra tall. They will lengthen their necks and make sure their torsos are exposed to convey confidence and bravery.

16. They will stand extra close to you.

In fact, bullies will so close that they will sometimes touch you as they deliberately invade your personal space. Understand that they do this to intimidate you.

Also, they do this to provoke you and dare you to do anything about it.

17. Bullies will use threatening, clustered facial expressions.

They will frown and purse their lips at you while maintaining unblinking and unwavering eye contact. Also, your bullies will bore their eyes into you like a dagger, without moving their heads.

18. Threatening Body Language:

They will freely touch you because they have no regard for your personal space.

For example, a bully may give you a hard slap on the back. They may also grab you by the arm and lead (or drag) you where they want you to go.

A bully may also physically move you to the side or shove past you.

Understand the message behind it. Your bully intends to show you who’s in charge. Moreover, they may also do these things to signal ownership of you.

Yes. You read this correctly. In the bully’s mind, he owns you. The message is, “You’re mine, I own you, and I can do what I want with you.”

19. If you’re sitting, your bully or bullies will stand over you to look bigger and more intimidating.

Moreover, bullies who are short in stature will stand on something to appear taller than you. Some may even stand on their tiptoes.

20. Threatening Body Language:

Bullies will also lay claim to your territory or property.

Your desk, chair, and parking space is fair game. Also, your bullies will expect others to obey rules when near their claimed area or object.

They may walk into your room, office, dorm, or home uninvited and without knocking. Moreover, your bullies may plop down in your chair without asking permission.

Other invasions include leaning on your vehicle, parking in your parking space, cutting in front of you in line, or propping their feet on the back of your chair when sitting behind you.

Also, your bullies put their hands on your personal belongings with a carefree attitude. Their message is, “I own you, so I own anything that is yours.”

They’ll walk up to your table during lunch, pick a French fry off your plate in front of you, and pop it in their mouths. Or, your bullies may pick up your fork and take a bite of your.

Moreover, bullies will pick up your phone and scroll through the contents. They will also rummage through your purse or pick up your jacket and go through the pockets.

The hidden message is, “I can take whatever I want, and what are you going to do about it?”

Understand that bullies do these things to take away your power.

21. Bullies will invade public territory.

They’ll walk in the center of a hallway or sit on a flight of stairs, expecting people to move and go around them. Also, bullies will stand in the middle of a road or driveway or take their time crossing the street, forcing cars to stop and wait.

In Conclusion:

It’s important that you respond to these signals and do it with power. Never ignore them. Mirror any threatening facial expressions or gestures.

Moreover, if a bully violates your space or belongings, always call them out on it. Never let it happen without asserting yourself. If a bully stares you down, always return the stare. Either look them in the eye or look them between the eyes.

If they look at you while standing feet apart and arms akimbo, reflect the exact same stance back to the bully. If the bully is rushing you, slow down. Do not speed up! Remain calm.

The point is to the bully to show that you’re not the least bit intimidated by them. And be willing to fight in you must.

This post is all about threatening body Language and what you can do to respond with strength so that you can let the bullies know you won’t be their victim.

Related posts you’ll enjoy:

1. Examples of Non Verbal Bullying

2. Non Verbal Bullying: Hostile Body Language Head to Toe

3. Bullying Tactics: 9 Subtle Moves Bullies Use to Avoid Detection

4. How to Spot a Bully: 13 Must-Know Body-Language Examples

5. How to Spot Fake Friends: 7 Proven Tricks to Instantly Out Them

Examples of Non Verbal Bullying

September 23, 2024September 22, 20248 Comments

‘Want to know the examples of non verbal bullying? Here are the most common examples you need to know about.

Bullies know what they’re doing. They know that if they can intimidate you through nonverbal communication, they can do it quietly, without drawing attention to their behavior. Moreover, they know that their victims are more likely to stay silent because if they report it, others are likely to blow them of as sufferers of paranoia.

Therefore, in this post, you will learn about all the examples of non verbal bullying, how to recognize it, and what you can do to counter it.

Once you learn about all these gestures, you will then be able to use your own nonverbals to let your bullies know that you’re not one who’ll be threatened by them. As a result, they will likely leave you alone and go find an easier target.

This post is all about the examples of non verbal bullying, how to recognize them, and what you can do to counter them.

Examples of non verbal bullying

Most seasoned bullies seek to intimidate others by nonverbal means. Why? Because nonverbal bullying is subtle and least likely to be detected.

Moreover, this type of bullying can occur either at school, in the workplace, or anywhere. Here are a few such subtleties.

So, How do Bullies Use Nonverbal communication to bully you?

1. They lean against your desk, office doorway, car, etc.

Understand that when people lean against an object, they are, in a sense, laying claim to that object. Therefore, when bullies learn against your desk, car, or any object that belongs to you, they are non verbally claiming it as theirs.

Also, they do it to intimidate you and dare you to say or do something about it. So, how do you deal with this?

You handle it simply by telling the bully point blank and in a stern voice,
“Get off my desk (car, etc.)”

And you must address this the very first time this occurs.

2. The bully will sit in your chair.

Again, any chair you sit in, you non-verbally lay claim to.

Address it by telling the person in no uncertain terms to unseat your chair. Also, it’s important that you speak out right then, the first time it happens. Otherwise, the bully will think they can do it again.

Therefore, never let someone get away with this even the first time.

3. Examples of Non Verbal Bullying:

The bully may also pick your purse or notebook off your desk, touch your property, etc.

I can’t stress this enough! You must realize that anything of yours the bully touches, he is laying claim to.

The unspoken message that the bully is sending is, “I own your desk, car, notebook, and anything that’s yours.”

Therefore, don’t ignore it, and don’t be quiet about it. Open your mouth and tell the creep to keep his hands off your stuff.

The bully may also walk up to your table in the cafeteria or a restaurant, pluck a morsel of food from your plate and pop it in their mouth without even asking.

Realize that when a bully does this, they are challenging you. Their message is,

“I just took a piece of your lunch. Now, what are you going to do about it?”

Moreover, female bullies will often go through their target’s purses or jacket pockets or flip through their notebooks, yearbooks, or diaries. I’ve also heard of bullies walking into people’s homes without knocking.

During school or business trips, bullies may go through your luggage and steal money, articles of clothing, anything from you while you’re out of the room. Moreover, if you have multiple bullies, it’ll be difficult for you to confront the thief.

Although you may have a pretty good idea who stole your belongings, you’ll never be able to prove who took them!

Here’s another nugget of truth to think about. When bullies claim ownership of your space and property, it means that they believe they own YOU!

4. Examples of Non Verbal Bullying:

They will violate your personal space.

Bullies are notorious for getting too close.

Understand that when the bully gets in your face or looms you from behind, he is doing one or more of four things. He is either trying to intimidate you, dominate you, challenge you, or he is trying to provoke a fight.

Therefore, do what you have to do. Tell this idiot to back the hell up!

Understand that these types of bullies have unlimited audacity, and they do not respect boundaries! With people who are bold and audacious, you must take a stand!

Never ignore them or allow yourself to be intimidated because these kinds of folks will only increase the behavior if you do.

5. They give you threatening glares.

It’s the look bullies give you every time you’re in their line of sight. That stare makes the hairs stand on the back of your neck!

You know the one. It’s that creepy, bone-chilling look bullies give that makes you stop whatever you are doing or clam up when they do it?

Moreover, they look at you so intensely that you feel like you’re under a microscope! What’s even scarier is that the person doing the staring is eerily calm. They’re so still that they don’t move a muscle nor even blink!

Those angry, icy-cold eyes relentlessly bore into you like a hot needle. Those eyes look as if they could jump out at you and attack you at any moment! It reminds you of a wolf standing ever so still and eyeing an antelope, anticipating it’s next meal! Weird, no?

Granted, not all staring is necessarily bad because if a person likes you and has feelings for you, they may also stare, with their pupils dilating and crinkles forming around the eyes every time they look at you.

However, the look bullies give you is much different. Their pupils only constrict, becoming tiny black holes in the irises of their eyes. Their stare is a cold, prolonged “I’m going to kill you” look which stops you cold!

Therefore, if ever you notice anyone looking at you this way, you must return and mirror the glare to intimidate them into taking their eyes off you. And don’t take your eyes off them until they stop looking at you.

Moreover, know that covert/indirect bullies are cowards at heart, and most of the time, all it takes is you returning the stare to make these people go away.

Examples of Non Verbal Bullying

How You Respond to Non Verbal Bullying

If someone wants to harm you, they don’t have to come out and tell you. Just the same, if they want you gone, they needn’t tell you to “get the hell out.”

All they must do is glare at you and hope they can intimidate you into leaving. Moreover, your bullies want to make you think you’re about to get hurt.

In a case like this, the tension is so thick you can cut it with a knife. Worse even, others might feel the animosity between you and personal history may ruin an otherwise good day.

Therefore, if you’re a victim of bullying at a party or get-together and suddenly see your bully locking eyes with you, know that this person is giving you the message that they intend to make your day a really bad one.

You have choices. Either you can turn tail and run, or you can spend the rest of the day avoiding the bully.

how you handle it is your choice.

But wait! Here’s another choice- a better choice! You can smile at the bully, nod your head, then turn your back to them. If you want to be a smart alick, add a wave.

Therefore, you will non-verbally send your own message back to your bully, one that is very clear. You signal that they don’t scare you. You also tell the bully that you have no intentions of running.

Instead, you intend to stay and enjoy yourself with the other people at the shindig. And you will do this whether the bully likes it or not.

Also, you can mirror the bully and reciprocate the body language. In doing this, you let the bully know that you’re willing to stand your ground.

Ouch! This is not the response your bully expected!

In that, you’ve responded to the bully without being aggressive or capitulating to their silent demands that you either cower or leave.

In conclusion:

Let’s summarize.

Bullies use nonverbal means to not only send you a cruel message, but also to make their bullying less obvious to anyone else but you.

Therefore, it’s better not to respond to nonverbal bullying with words. Instead, reflect your own nonverbals back to the bully that signal that you aren’t afraid of her.

Again, nonverbal bullying requires a response that is also nonverbal. And your response should say that you will not cower or run. Instead, you will stick around, ignore the bully, and do your thing.

Related posts you’ll enjoy:

1. Defending Yourself from Bullies: 11 Best Defenses

2. Bullies in School: 5 Ways They Tell Off on Themselves Without Realizing It

3. 7 Secrets to Instantly Expose Bullies

4. The 4 Stages of Bullying

5. Setting Boundaries: 3 Powerful Practices to Hold Your Ground