ALARMING Synonyms: 170 Similar and Opposite Words

alarming 1 of 2

adjective

ə-ˈlär-miŋ

Definition of alarming

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

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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

New research by a team in China discovered an alarming link between a chemical commonly found in tires and the onset of Alzheimer’s disease. — Joe Wilkins, Futurism, 9 July 2026 Millions of dollars in coastal infrastructure and a booming fishing industry are at risk in South Florida as the region’s coral reefs continue to die off at a rate scientists call alarming. — Laurie Mermet, Sun Sentinel, 9 July 2026

Verb

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 The specific regulatory rollbacks Barr catalogs are alarming in their breadth. — Mayra Rodriguez Valladares, Forbes.com, 6 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for alarming

Recent Examples of Synonyms for alarming

Adjective

But getting that fissile material off the launchpad safely remains a terrifying engineering hurdle.

— Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 10 July 2026
After Weyland-Yutani’s spaceship collides with Prodigy City, Wendy and the other hybrids encounter mysterious life forms more terrifying than anyone could have ever imagined.

— Rosy Cordero, Deadline, 9 July 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 officer wrote that Gatz had been living in the area for several months and was disturbing the surrounding vegetation.

— Julia Jacobo, ABC News, 7 July 2026
Platner has faced multiple allegations of reckless and drunken behavior and disturbing behavior toward women since launching his campaign in August.

— Sara Dorn, Forbes.com, 7 July 2026

Definition of disturbing

Adjective

Some of them are scary, but some of them, harnessed correctly, might help us with some very human problems that pre-date the emergence of the LLM.

— John Werner, Forbes.com, 11 July 2026
But, if people have been suffering from the elevated air temperatures, the really scary numbers come from the ocean sensors.

— Bill McKibben, New Yorker, 9 July 2026

Definition of scary

Verb

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
Some cyclists sped by pretty quickly, startling us and our dog.

— Maura Fox, San Diego Union-Tribune, 27 Mar. 2026

Definition of startling

Verb

Spending so much time with Raskova’s frown was a miscalculation, when Sasha and Anastasia falling for each other, and Valya worrying about how Tanya’s past would haunt them forever, were so much more compelling.

— Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 10 July 2026
Permission to retire, to spend, to travel, to help family members and to stop worrying about market headlines.

— Nathaniel Tilton, Forbes.com, 10 July 2026

Definition of worrying

Adjective

England faces a formidable challenge against Mexico in the FIFA World Cup knockout round, playing at Estadio Azteca, 7,220 feet above sea level.

— Bruce Y. Lee, Forbes.com, 5 July 2026
However, there is arguably no matchup currently more daunting than a game against this formidable France side.

— Ben Church, CNN Money, 4 July 2026

Definition of formidable

Verb

Maybe two or three groups of hoaxers out there at once, bumping into each other in the dark and scaring the scales off one another.

— Star-Telegram staff, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 10 July 2026
There are multiple songs that could be (and were) covered by the Jackson 5 without scaring the teenyboppers, but Stone’s musical and lyrical depth is right there in the band’s most accessible album.

— Al Shipley, SPIN, 7 July 2026

Definition of scaring

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“Alarming.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/alarming. Accessed 15 Jul. 2026.

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Synonyms of alarming

adjective

verb

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