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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in disturbing
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
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Recent Examples of alarming
Linley Sanders, Los Angeles Times, 10 Mar. 2026
Crises erupt across the world with alarming regularity, and yet the biannual fashion shows press on.
—Rachel Tashjian, CNN Money, 10 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
Fluctuating oil prices may already be alarming voters.
—Linley Sanders, Los Angeles Times, 10 Mar. 2026
Crises erupt across the world with alarming regularity, and yet the biannual fashion shows press on.
—Rachel Tashjian, CNN Money, 10 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
-
There is something inherently terrifying about a supermassive black hole hurtling through space at an excess of three million kilometers per hour.—
Phil Plait,
Scientific American,
13 Mar. 2026
-
Even their vision of outer space seldom imparts the sense of a terrifying, unknowable vastness.—
Justin Chang,
New Yorker,
13 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
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
-
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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And with a noise level under 60 dB, the K1 is quiet enough for regular daytime operation without disturbing neighbors.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
15 Mar. 2026
-
In his directorial debut, Ian Tuason plays with the senses in this chilling flick about a pair of paranormal podcasters who are sent a series of disturbing audio files.—
Savannah Salazar,
Vulture,
13 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Certainly, that off feeling had to do with some very scary changes across the film and media industries, where many people feel doomed to lose their jobs.—
Marcus Jones,
IndieWire,
16 Mar. 2026
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This time, though, the scary skeleton was gone.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
16 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Hauge called that startling, given that court filing fees alone cost just as much.—
Frederick Melo,
Twin Cities,
4 Jan. 2026
-
Saturday, startling his sister.—
Andrew Ramos,
CBS News,
7 Dec. 2025
Verb
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And the escalating war in Iran is worrying some that higher prices across the board will soon follow.—
Heath Kalb,
CBS News,
12 Mar. 2026
-
The Hill’s Alexander Bolton reports soft job numbers, stubborn inflation and rising gas prices, spurred on by the Iran conflict, are worrying Republicans about an impending electoral backlash in November.—
Jared Gans,
The Hill,
12 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Combined with their high reproduction rate, containment is a formidable challenge for state wildlife managers.—
Ryan Brennan,
Kansas City Star,
13 Mar. 2026
-
The task was formidable, but not because of Moy Sing’s lack of wealth or social prominence.—
Charlotte Brooks,
Big Think,
13 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Ten points to Gryffindor for Bree shooting and subsequently scaring the bear away.—
Lincee Ray,
Entertainment Weekly,
13 Mar. 2026
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Effectively scaring a bear also reinforces the person as dominant in an encounter, so the bear learns to avoid people.—
Stephen Underwood,
Hartford Courant,
11 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Alarming.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/alarming. Accessed 19 Mar. 2026.
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