alarmed 1 of 2

adjective

ə-ˈlärmd How to pronounce alarmed (audio)
Definition of alarmednext
as in frightened
filled with fear or dread the Mohawks were the trapper's friends, so he was not the least bit alarmed at the sight of the band of Mohawk hunters

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

alarmed

2 of 2

verb

variants also alarumed
past tense of alarm
1
as in scared
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
2
as in disturbed
to trouble the mind of; to make uneasy alarmed at the skyrocketing cost of home heating fuel

Synonyms & Similar Words

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 alarmed
Adjective
Elsewhere alarmed Palestinian farmers—witnessing the growing trench tearing them away from their lands—surround the vehicles. — Literary Hub, 16 July 2026 But city officials don’t seem alarmed, saying that the project’s size was bound to change, and that the project is still aligned with the city code. — Taylor O'Connor, Kansas City Star, 9 July 2026
Verb
The incident came shortly after another behavioral issue involving Nacua that alarmed the Rams. — Steve Henson, Los Angeles Times, 23 July 2026 But many doctors are alarmed by a craze that has thousands of people injecting themselves with substances of dubious origin and whose long-term effects are unknown. — The Week Us, TheWeek, 20 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for alarmed
Recent Examples of Synonyms for alarmed
  1. frightened
  2. scared
  3. disturbed
  4. afraid
  5. terrified
  6. worried
  7. horrified
  8. startled
Adjective
  • Perreault-Magny said frightened and flustered migrants sometimes try to climb into his unmarked patrol pickup, mistaking it for a smuggler coming to collect them.
    — Trevor Hughes, USA Today, 29 July 2026
  • Meanwhile, the people standing beside the robot look frightened.
    — Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 29 July 2026
Definition of frightened
Verb
  • But coyotes—anxious, clumsy, and scared to try new things—lagged far behind their mesopredator cousins.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 15 July 2026
  • Running into the real Santosh again amid that backdrop, Juyal asked him if the danger scared him.
    — Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 8 July 2026
Definition of scared
Verb
  • The gunk Bondurant observed was likely didymo disturbed off the bottom of the river by people swimming and walking around.
    — Hannah Smith July 25, Idaho Statesman, 25 July 2026
  • By contrast, ecological systems are complexly interconnected, meaning that when one element is disturbed, all the other components linked to it are affected, too, spreading the disturbance throughout the system.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 23 July 2026
Definition of disturbed
Adjective
  • The kind who drive across town for the right crust and aren't afraid to wait for it.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 30 July 2026
  • Don’t be afraid to volunteer for a responsibility that scares you a little.
    — Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 29 July 2026
Definition of afraid
Verb
  • While some car companies have lobbied the government, terrified, asking to build protective walls to fend off cheap Chinese competition, others have looked at the problem from a different angle, trying to meet the moment.
    — Jonathan M. Gitlin, ArsTechnica, 21 July 2026
  • Sebastian Krautz went viral on NBC10 Boston this week after admitting he was initially terrified to travel to the United States because of news about crime and safety.
    — Lance Reynolds, Boston Herald, 4 July 2026
Definition of terrified
Verb
  • When Gunther von Hagens’s exhibition came to town, security guards worried less about theft than nausea.
    — Harrison Smith, Washington Post, 1 Aug. 2026
  • However, Keller residents who posted on social media worried about the proximity of the data center to their homes.
    — Elizabeth Campbell, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 1 Aug. 2026
Definition of worried
Adjective
  • In one early scene, a horrified Pam stares into her bathroom mirror, covered head to toe in blood.
    — Nick Romano, Entertainment Weekly, 13 July 2026
  • The first police officer on the scene quickly ran back to the station for help, while neighbors calmed the horrified Lizzie.
    — Sophia Zhang, Encyclopedia Britannica, 16 June 2026
Definition of horrified
Verb
  • Witness Hoon Chan Sim, 53, was sitting on a park lawn with his dog near West Drive when he was startled by the squeal of braking tires, and spun around to see the horrific collision.
    — Lincoln Anderson, New York Daily News, 25 July 2026
  • Wildlife experts say black bears are strong climbers and may scale trees, utility poles or other tall structures when startled by people, traffic or dogs.
    — Brittany Miller, FOXNews.com, 23 July 2026
Definition of startled

Browse Nearby Words

alarm clocks
alarmed
alarming
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Alarmed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/alarmed. Accessed 3 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on alarmed

Nglish: Translation of alarmed for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of mitigate

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

'Sneaked' or 'Snuck': Which is correct?

Why does English have so many silent letters?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Dutch Treat and French Leave: Eight Place-Based Compounds

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

How long is a jiffy?

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)
See More

Popular

See More

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

Dutch Treat and French Leave: Eight Place-Based Compounds

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
asap street sign
Figure Out These Acronyms ASAP You don't have to be a NASA engineer to get these...
See All