alarming

adjective

alarm·​ing ə-ˈlär-miŋ 

: causing people to feel danger or alarm or to be worried or frightened

alarming news

The statistics revealed an alarming increase in childhood obesity.

alarmingly

ə-ˈlär-miŋ-lē

adverb

an alarmingly high rate of infection

Synonyms of alarming

• terrifying
• frightening
• scary
• formidable
• horrible
• terrible
• intimidating
• shocking

Examples of alarming in a Sentence

an alarming rise in her fever, causing the doctor to fear the worst

Recent Examples on the Web

These conditions range from blocking streets and sidewalks and road closures, to the production of amplified noise and the use of disruptive or alarming lighting equipment or props. — Steve Zalusky, Chicago Tribune, 7 Aug. 2026

That alarming development requires a completely different approach to cyber defense, and HPE is addressing these challenges through a combination of identity enforcement, network defense, and data resiliency. — Will Townsend, Forbes.com, 7 Aug. 2026

Boston community and city leaders say new safety measures are rolling out this week, after recent alarming violence in Downtown Boston around Boston Common and Downtown Crossing. — Tammy Mutasa, CBS News, 6 Aug. 2026

That’s true even as there’s been a steady clip of cyberattacks on the United States and other countries, some of them quite alarming, and even as a new, more powerful AI model is released by an American or Chinese lab seemingly every week. — Jen Easterly, Foreign Affairs, 6 Aug. 2026

Word History

Etymology

from present participle of alarm entry 2

First Known Use

1658, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for alarming

• disarming
• arming
• charming
• farming
• harming