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
Faced with this alarming situation, Leonardo DiCaprio has decided to take action alongside Lauren Sánchez Bezos, a partnership that aims to execute one of the most ambitious wildlife conservation projects ever. — Anna Zucca, Vanity Fair, 6 Aug. 2026 The celebrity blogger was hospitalized after appearing in an alarming TikTok live at his Westchester house. — Madeleine Marr, Miami Herald, 6 Aug. 2026
Verb
For Denver residents like Marisa Saturni-Johnson, the sirens were alarming enough to send her family into shelter. — Sarah Horbacewicz, CBS News, 10 June 2026 The institution has resisted placing it under glass or alarming it in order to allow visitors as unrestricted a viewing experience as possible. — News Desk, Artforum, 9 June 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
  • The monsters when finally shown in the light are more shrug worthy than creepy or terrifying.
    — Angelica Jade Bastién, Vulture, 7 Aug. 2026
  • The great slope of Mulholland’s concrete gravity dam in the Hollywood Hills — a model for the one that failed — was covered with dirt to disguise its terrifying height.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 6 Aug. 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
  • The couple have long warned of the dangers of social media and the evolution of disturbing AI tools, zoning in on the negative impact the platforms can have on mental health.
    — Jennifer Hassan, USA Today, 4 Aug. 2026
  • Each seat is 19 inches wide with 39 inches of pitch with thoughtful features like a hard shell for easy reclining without disturbing surrounding fliers and privacy dividers attached to the headrest.
    — Jessica Puckett, Condé Nast Traveler, 1 Aug. 2026
Definition of disturbing
Adjective
  • No prominent leader has explained what governments will do when the scariest AI capabilities are diffused around the world and become accessible to criminals and terrorists.
    — Foreign Affairs, Foreign Affairs, 10 Aug. 2026
  • Universal’s annual Halloween Horror Nights is looking like an even scarier place to have a nice daaaate.
    — James Hibberd, HollywoodReporter, 10 Aug. 2026
Definition of scary
Verb
  • 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
  • Cortlandt Koerwitz/Instagram A family's Fourth of July outing took a frightening turn when a bear charged at a father outside his Lake Tahoe vacation home after startling his daughters.
    — Shafiq Najib, ABC News, 9 July 2026
Definition of startling
Verb
  • And for a generation scarred by Covid, wars, and the risk of AI, now worrying over job prospects, demand for safety, security, and certainty may be at an all-time high.
    — Ryan Craig, Forbes.com, 8 Aug. 2026
  • The same fans forced to move rows back — or even higher into the upper bowl — after years of never worrying about being priced out by the organization as Laney-Hamilton became Brooklyn’s first WNBA star.
    — Fiifi Frimpong, New York Daily News, 7 Aug. 2026
Definition of worrying
Adjective
  • Webber seemed the perfect fit for Golden State and Nelson, and a bigger, more athletic Warriors team seemed to have a more formidable Big Three in Webber, Owens and second-year guard Latrell Sprewell, with Mullin still on hand as well.
    — Carl Steward, Mercury News, 9 Aug. 2026
  • Leykin, 19, is a formidable challenger, placing in the top five on four apparatuses.
    — Caroline Price, Forbes.com, 7 Aug. 2026
Definition of formidable
Verb
  • Be a menace to people in the community, driving his boat 70 to 80 miles per hour, driving around scaring the heck out of people, taking people's lives.
    — Lauren Victory, CBS News, 6 Aug. 2026
  • Notably, the research shows that pumas contribute most to decreased deer-vehicle collisions by scaring their prey, and not killing them, highlights Mark Elbroch, director of the Puma Program for Panthera and also a study co-author.
    — Margherita Bassi, Popular Science, 5 Aug. 2026
Definition of scaring

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Cite this Entry

“Alarming.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/alarming. Accessed 12 Aug. 2026.

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Nglish: Translation of alarming for Spanish Speakers

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