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

Regina seemed alarmed by the suggestion. —Literary Hub, 22 Jan. 2026

The Santa Venetia neighbors may not be too alarmed at this point, but the county says the levees are a problem now. —John Ramos, CBS News, 21 Jan. 2026

The filmmaker was alarmed, but hardly shocked. —Ben Croll, Variety, 21 Jan. 2026

But while Beijing sought to project an image of resilience, economists remain concerned about weak household spending amid deflationary pressure and an overreliance on exports to drive growth – particularly at a time when governments globally have grown more alarmed by widening trade imbalances. —Simone McCarthy, CNN Money, 19 Jan. 2026

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