alarmed

adjective

ə-ˈlärmd 

1

: feeling a sense of danger : urgently worried, concerned, or frightened

I was alarmed to see how sick she looked.

And what followed was not a miracle but a … model of how tough government, cooperative businessmen and a very alarmed public can make a dirty world clean again.

—William Oscar Johnson

2

: equipped with an alarm

an alarmed door

Most exits were locked and alarmed, and employees had to show ID badges when they entered lab buildings.

—Jennifer Nagorka

Synonyms of alarmed

• frightened
• afraid
• terrified
• scared
• horrified
• shocked
• worried

Examples of alarmed in a Sentence

the Mohawks were the trapper's friends, so he was not the least bit alarmed at the sight of the band of Mohawk hunters

Recent Examples on the Web

With Europe alarmed about Russian unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) entering its airspace, a Swedish firm has said its interception device can help protect the eastern flank of NATO, and the wider region, as the alliance mulls a drone wall to counter Moscow’s hybrid threats. —Brendan Cole, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 Dec. 2025

The changes have alarmed climate scientists. —Ella Nilsen, CNN Money, 11 Dec. 2025

Her murder occurred during an uptick in gun violence in the surrounding area in a short time frame, which alarmed residents. —David Clarey, jsonline.com, 10 Dec. 2025

Rather than being allowed to sit back and watch the movie of her life, Didion was alarmed to be pressed into serving as its editor, in charge of every cut and splice. —Literary Hub, 9 Dec. 2025

Word History

Etymology

from past participle of alarm entry 2

First Known Use

1702, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for alarmed

• armed
• charmed
• farmed
• harmed
• disarmed
• unarmed
• unharmed