alarmed

1 of 2

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

alarmed

2 of 2

past tense and past participle of alarm entry 2

Synonyms of alarmed

Adjective

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

Examples of alarmed in a Sentence

Adjective

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

Adjective

Going deeper Fortune's Eleanor Pringle reports that debt hawks are increasingly alarmed as the 10-year Treasury yield approaches 5%, warning the move could signal a brewing national debt spiral. — Sheryl Estrada, Fortune, 15 Sep. 2026

This week’s soaring temperatures alarmed students and parents of the Torrance Unified School District, where some campuses do not have air conditioning. — Karen Garcia, Los Angeles Times, 10 Sep. 2026

Some former workers are alarmed that the data sale could possibly harm the public. — Ashley Belanger, ArsTechnica, 10 Sep. 2026

When kids first got online, parents were bewildered and alarmed, but kids, who tend to gravitate to new technology, found freedom in a space that was basically ungoverned. — Joshua Rothman, New Yorker, 4 Sep. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

from past participle of alarm entry 2

First Known Use

Adjective

1702, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for alarmed

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