as in terrifying
causing fear
an alarming rise in her fever, causing the doctor to fear the worst
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
variants
also alaruming
1
as in frightening
to strike with fear
I don't want to alarm you, but I think you should know there's a bear on your back porch
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in disturbing
to trouble the mind of; to make uneasy
alarmed at the skyrocketing cost of home heating fuel
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of alarming
Wyatte Grantham-Philips, Fortune, 12 June 2026
Hospitals and research studies have documented an alarming jump in babies not receiving the vitamin K shot, which has been recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics since 1961 to help newborns’ blood to clot.
—Duaa Eldeib, ProPublica, 12 June 2026
Mayra Rodriguez Valladares, Forbes.com, 6 June 2026
The alerts were triggered by the severe thunderstorm moving through the area, alarming some residents who were unaware the city’s siren system now also goes off when a severe weather warning is issued by the National Weather Service.
—Gloria Casas, Chicago Tribune, 16 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for alarming
Adjective
Many have decried the arrival of the first trillionaire as the latest and most alarming example of that wealth gap.
—Wyatte Grantham-Philips, Fortune, 12 June 2026
Hospitals and research studies have documented an alarming jump in babies not receiving the vitamin K shot, which has been recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics since 1961 to help newborns’ blood to clot.
—Duaa Eldeib, ProPublica, 12 June 2026
Verb
The specific regulatory rollbacks Barr catalogs are alarming in their breadth.
—Mayra Rodriguez Valladares, Forbes.com, 6 June 2026
The alerts were triggered by the severe thunderstorm moving through the area, alarming some residents who were unaware the city’s siren system now also goes off when a severe weather warning is issued by the National Weather Service.
—Gloria Casas, Chicago Tribune, 16 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for alarming
Recent Examples of Synonyms for alarming
Adjective
-
This terrifying, wondrous circle spinning around us here on Earth.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
19 June 2026
-
What would be terrifying is to not have that opportunity.—
Yvonne Villarreal,
Los Angeles Times,
19 June 2026
Verb
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Powell tried to open the stall door, and then began fondling himself, frightening the 11-year-old, who tried to leave, but Powell blocked him from getting out.—
Todd Feurer,
CBS News,
6 June 2026
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This war has been a disaster for them, frightening away foreign investors, tourists and talent and burdening them with a future of huge new defense bills to deter Iran after the United States is gone.—
Thomas L. Friedman,
Mercury News,
15 May 2026
Verb
-
The ability to create disturbing horror in comics is not easy.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
22 June 2026
-
He was charged with stalking, disturbing the peace and obstruction for failure to identify himself to law enforcement.—
Steven Yablonski,
CBS News,
18 June 2026
Adjective
-
There were some scary moments at the nest earlier in the spring when viewers watched one of the eaglets, then just named USS 11, swallow a fishhook.—
Madeline Bartos,
CBS News,
22 June 2026
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Exciting but scary findings During another of the key microplastics studies published so far, researchers at the University of Rhode Island tested mice that had been modified to include a gene, APOE4, linked to Alzheimer’s disease.—
Michael Hawthorne,
Chicago Tribune,
21 June 2026
Verb
-
Some cyclists sped by pretty quickly, startling us and our dog.—
Maura Fox,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
27 Mar. 2026
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Hauge called that startling, given that court filing fees alone cost just as much.—
Frederick Melo,
Twin Cities,
4 Jan. 2026
Verb
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In Disclosure Day, Jane’s worrying is curious, coming from someone who meant to become a nun.—
Luis Parrales,
The Atlantic,
18 June 2026
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Looking to be quite aggressive in a football sense and always looking for the solution and what can happen instead of worrying about what the problem is.—
Andy Mitten,
New York Times,
17 June 2026
Adjective
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More than 30 years ago, Anna and her manager and trusted companion, Betsy Samson (a formidable Denise Burse), fled to Europe on the heels of a highbrow scandal.—
Theater Critic,
Los Angeles Times,
19 June 2026
-
Sure, Carpenter’s cut-the-ruggers are pizzazzing with their flips and cartwheels, but the Grande gang make formidable dance foes in the Sharks and Jets sense of the word.—
Anthony D'Alessandro,
Deadline,
19 June 2026
Verb
-
Episodes find the gang scaring people for class assignments while carefully keeping the monster world under wraps.—
Skyler Trepel,
Entertainment Weekly,
20 June 2026
-
But she was saved by three bystanders who yelled out, scaring him off and chasing him through the park, sources said.—
Rocco Parascandola,
New York Daily News,
13 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Alarming.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/alarming. Accessed 24 Jun. 2026.
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