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

• dire
• direful
• dread
• dreadful
• fearful
• fearsome
• forbidding
• formidable
• frightening
• frightful
• ghastly
• hair-raising
• horrendous
• horrible
• horrifying
• intimidating
• redoubtable
• scary
• shocking
• spine-chilling
• terrible
• terrifying

Examples of alarming in a Sentence

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

Recent Examples on the Web

The environmental impact is also particularly alarming. —Lee-Lean Shu, Forbes.com, 23 June 2025

Equally alarming is the minuscule investment in research, which receives less than 0.2% of the National Institutes of Health budget, despite the massive economic toll. —Julienne Verdi, Boston Herald, 22 June 2025

Besides being alarming, these vulvar changes can be uncomfortable to deal with. —Erica Sweeney, SELF, 20 June 2025

Advertisement The targeting of critical national infrastructure, the rising number of casualties, and the threat to evacuate the capital, Tehran, are deeply alarming. —Chad De Guzman, Time, 19 June 2025

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