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

Amir Becker, Dream’s chief business and strategy officer, said the way the AI system operated in this latest case was alarming. — John Liu, CNN Money, 13 Aug. 2026

So one of these two costs is fully visible and the other never has been, which is the entire reason a compute bill that is small next to engineering payroll still feels alarming. — Sanjay Srivastava, Forbes.com, 12 Aug. 2026

Esposito recalled experiencing alarming physical symptoms, including losing her hair and fingernails. — Christina Dugan Ramirez, FOXNews.com, 11 Aug. 2026

German rearmament remained alarming to the French, and for a time a European Army seemed to offer a solution. — Ian Buruma, New Yorker, 10 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