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alarming 1 of 2

adjective

ə-ˈlär-miŋ How to pronounce alarming (audio)
Definition of alarmingnext
as in terrifying
causing fear an alarming rise in her fever, causing the doctor to fear the worst

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

alarming

2 of 2

verb

variants also alaruming
present participle of alarm
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

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of alarming
Adjective
The alarming statistics do not capture the full scale of the crisis, said Renata Ram, Fiji adviser for the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS). — Lex Harvey, CNN Money, 16 Sep. 2026 Perhaps more alarming, the Irish have just six 10-yard runs despite being in control all game against Rice and most of the second half against Wisconsin. — Pete Sampson, New York Times, 14 Sep. 2026
Verb
Found in many foods For consumers, of course, the latest food safety concerns can be alarming given that lettuce and jalapeño peppers are used in many of the roughly 1 billion meals Americans consume daily. — Megan Cerullo, CBS News, 10 Aug. 2026 In Orange County, the Florida Department of Health in Orange County maintains infectious-disease surveillance and disease-reporting services for residents and visitors, which is exactly how local systems stay ready without alarming the public. — Luis E. Caso Vega, The Orlando Sentinel, 18 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for alarming
Recent Examples of Synonyms for alarming
  1. terrifying
  2. frightening
  3. disturbing
  4. scary
  5. startling
  6. worrying
  7. formidable
  8. scaring
Adjective
  • Although the encounter itself was terrifying, revelations about Shrine’s past have compounded her fears.
    — Clara Harter, Los Angeles Times, 23 Sep. 2026
  • The movie blows up, and so are do lives—in exciting, but also terrifying, ways.
    — Katie Wiseman, IndyStar, 21 Sep. 2026
Definition of terrifying
Verb
  • Powell tried to open the stall door, and then began fondling himself, frightening the 11-year-old, who tried to leave, but Powell blocked him from getting out.
    — Todd Feurer, CBS News, 6 June 2026
  • This war has been a disaster for them, frightening away foreign investors, tourists and talent and burdening them with a future of huge new defense bills to deter Iran after the United States is gone.
    — Thomas L. Friedman, Mercury News, 15 May 2026
Definition of frightening
Verb
  • There’s a story there, a complicated and disturbing one, but the new Netflix film Unabomber won’t be the one to give it to us.
    — Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 25 Sep. 2026
  • Combs has both utilized and weaponized his fortune, industry status, and reputation to hide a volatile temper and disturbing behavior for decades.
    — Nancy Dillon, Rolling Stone, 21 Sep. 2026
Definition of disturbing
Adjective
  • The clubhouse was somewhat somber Friday afternoon, with players still feeling shaken up after witnessing one of the scariest collisions many had ever seen on a baseball field.
    — Abbey Mastracco, New York Daily News, 18 Sep. 2026
  • In Mexico, Yamel’s mother tells scary folktales to caution her against real-life dangers.
    — Emily McClanathan, Chicago Tribune, 18 Sep. 2026
Definition of scary
Verb
  • The unpredictable motion scares them off, startling them and throwing them off balance.
    — Molly Burford, Southern Living, 1 Sep. 2026
  • Last week, an F/A-18 Super Hornet from the Blue Angels, the Navy’s flight-demonstration team, zoomed dangerously low along the Florida coast, stirring up sand and umbrellas, startling some beachgoers—and, it must be said, delighting many others.
    — Missy Ryan, The Atlantic, 22 July 2026
Definition of startling
Verb
  • Read more here from CNBC's Sean Conlon on what's worrying traders even as the market surges.
    — Sean Conlon,Jenni Reid,Justina Lee,Darla Mercado, CFP®, CNBC, 21 Sep. 2026
  • In her interview with LaFrance, Swisher also discussed the economic implications of the AI race, who is likely to win, and how Americans can respond to this dizzying and worrying AI moment.
    — Victoria Feng, The Atlantic, 19 Sep. 2026
Definition of worrying
Adjective
  • The decision to construct the film around precisely five-minute takes presents a formidable formal and technical challenge.
    — Anna Marie de la Fuente, Variety, 19 Sep. 2026
  • The Gateway defense was formidable, forcing seven negative plays in the first half, including four sacks, and limited the Eagles to 12 second-half snaps and one first down.
    — Chris Hays, The Orlando Sentinel, 19 Sep. 2026
Definition of formidable
Verb
  • Since reintroducing Mexican wolves in 1998, the Fish and Wildlife Service has employed some programs to help manage livestock-wolf conflict, like using range-riders to monitor and deter wolves and scaring them off using non-lethal methods.
    — Sarah Henry, AZCentral.com, 11 Sep. 2026
  • Few griz/hunter interactions ever move beyond the scaring stage.
    — Ron Spomer, Outdoor Life, 19 Aug. 2026
Definition of scaring

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alarming
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Cite this Entry

“Alarming.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/alarming. Accessed 26 Sep. 2026.

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