alarming

adjective

alarm·​ing ə-ˈlär-miŋ How to pronounce alarming (audio)
: 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

Examples of alarming in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Particularly alarming is the Swedish tour bus going through Harlem. Kim Gordon, Variety, 13 Mar. 2024 Initially, her cousin didn't perceive these symptoms as alarming. Jordan Greene, Peoplemag, 12 Mar. 2024 The series of blasts in the Tierra Caliente — an area along the border of Jalisco and Michoacán states that has long been a hot zone for cartel warfare — mark an alarming escalation of violence in Mexico as criminal groups arm themselves with ever-more sophisticated and deadly weaponry. Keegan Hamilton, Los Angeles Times, 9 Mar. 2024 The online resource utilizes AI to comb through student responses and flag any alarming text, such as suicidal ideation or self-harm tendencies, to teachers and school counselors. Hannah Poukish, The Mercury News, 9 Mar. 2024 An alarming new study in the journal Nature shows how bad the problem could get in 32 coastal cities in the United States. Matt Simon, WIRED, 6 Mar. 2024 Second, our response when a friend posts something alarming should be rooted in the relationship. Kwame Anthony Appiah, New York Times, 6 Mar. 2024 The Bureau of Reclamation started work on its emergency amendment to shortage-sharing guidelines when Lake Mead and Lake Powell were emptying at an alarming rate after two decades of drought. Brandon Loomis, The Arizona Republic, 5 Mar. 2024 White-nose syndrome was first discovered in Indiana in 2009 and state biologists have reported alarming decreases in bat populations in the ensuing years. Karl Schneider, The Indianapolis Star, 1 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'alarming.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

from present participle of alarm entry 2

First Known Use

1658, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of alarming was in 1658

Dictionary Entries Near alarming

Cite this Entry

“Alarming.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/alarming. Accessed 18 Mar. 2024.

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