as in terrifying
causing fear
an alarming rise in her fever, causing the doctor to fear the worst
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
variants
also alaruming
1
as in frightening
to strike with fear
I don't want to alarm you, but I think you should know there's a bear on your back porch
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in disturbing
to trouble the mind of; to make uneasy
alarmed at the skyrocketing cost of home heating fuel
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of alarming
Megan Thiele Strong, Chicago Tribune, 16 Mar. 2026
The Rams have now won 13 of their last 14 and enter the A-10 tournament as the league’s clear hottest team thanks to Saint Louis’ alarming fade.
—Jim Root, New York Times, 13 Mar. 2026
Tom Chivers, semafor.com, 5 Jan. 2026
Inflation reached 69% — alarming at the time but modest in hindsight — and the first major wave of protests erupted.
—Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald, 3 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for alarming
Adjective
They are regurgitated from deeply alarming periods in our history and based on unfounded ideas.
—Megan Thiele Strong, Chicago Tribune, 16 Mar. 2026
The Rams have now won 13 of their last 14 and enter the A-10 tournament as the league’s clear hottest team thanks to Saint Louis’ alarming fade.
—Jim Root, New York Times, 13 Mar. 2026
Verb
China’s increasingly advanced military capabilities are alarming the West and reshaping the global balance of naval power, analysts said.
—Tom Chivers, semafor.com, 5 Jan. 2026
Inflation reached 69% — alarming at the time but modest in hindsight — and the first major wave of protests erupted.
—Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald, 3 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for alarming
Recent Examples of Synonyms for alarming
Adjective
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The fascinating — and perhaps slightly terrifying — part of this particular season is that both outcomes seem equally possible.—
Dieter Kurtenbach,
Mercury News,
21 Mar. 2026
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Scary is subjective, but for many people, HHN is terrifying.—
Eve Chen,
USA Today,
21 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Clumsiness notwithstanding, bringing a criminal case against a journalist who was reporting on a protest is an authoritarian tactic—a means of frightening the press away from uncovering the truth.—
Quinta Jurecic,
The Atlantic,
30 Jan. 2026
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But monks there complained that the slain king was walking around at night, frightening them with strange sounds.—
Rivka Galchen,
New Yorker,
7 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Though the individual data points may have been reported already, this edition contains more detailed and disturbing information about the climate than any before.—
Andrew Freedman,
CNN Money,
23 Mar. 2026
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The charges include alleged activity on social media, sending content to foreign media outlets, espionage and disturbing public order, HRANA said before adding that its count was based on official reports.—
Emma Bussey,
FOXNews.com,
19 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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The scariest reality may be that most defense innovation comes from desperation.—
Ben Smith,
semafor.com,
23 Mar. 2026
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Robbing a bank was a bit scary, because the owners of the bank wanted to be in the thing.—
Brian Truitt,
USA Today,
21 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Hauge called that startling, given that court filing fees alone cost just as much.—
Frederick Melo,
Twin Cities,
4 Jan. 2026
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Saturday, startling his sister.—
Andrew Ramos,
CBS News,
7 Dec. 2025
Verb
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Another issue worrying farmers in major food-producing countries like Brazil and India is that the war is also hurting the export market.—
Fatma Tanis,
NPR,
20 Mar. 2026
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And so it’s been just a back-and-forth process, trying to be here, the present moment, worrying about home and headlines.—
Armando Tinoco,
Deadline,
19 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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Golden Horse Best Actors Wu Kang Ren and Tse Kwan Ho play the formidable Poon patriarch and son.—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
20 Mar. 2026
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Last year’s Terrapins made a Sweet 16 run and lost to formidable South Carolina by just four points.—
Steven Louis Goldstein,
New York Times,
20 Mar. 2026
Verb
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In a story translated from Korean, a ghost aches with loneliness after scaring everyone away; in a story translated from Arabic, a midwife is called to aid with the birth of … something.—
Erik Pedersen,
Oc Register,
20 Mar. 2026
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Overbey was cautious, though, about not scaring parents.—
Emily Brindley
Health Reporter,
Dallas Morning News,
19 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Alarming.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/alarming. Accessed 24 Mar. 2026.
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