alarming

adjective

alarm·​ing ə-ˈlär-miŋ 

: causing people to feel danger or alarm or to be worried or frightened

alarming news

The statistics revealed an alarming increase in childhood obesity.

alarmingly

ə-ˈlär-miŋ-lē

adverb

an alarmingly high rate of infection

Synonyms

• dire
• direful
• dread
• dreadful
• fearful
• fearsome
• forbidding
• formidable
• frightening
• frightful
• ghastly
• hair-raising
• horrendous
• horrible
• horrifying
• intimidating
• redoubtable
• scary
• shocking
• spine-chilling
• terrible
• terrifying

Examples of alarming in a Sentence

an alarming rise in her fever, causing the doctor to fear the worst

Recent Examples on the Web

For Srinivasan, the sudden escalation was alarming. —Shimon Prokupecz, CNN Money, 31 Mar. 2025

While the White House tried to diminish the seriousness of the security breach, the war-planning group chat, which included all of the highest-ranking defense Cabinet members and Vice President JD Vance, the snafu is alarming on multiple levels. —Clarence Page, Chicago Tribune, 30 Mar. 2025

Researchers started on including a period after each word in an exchange: While these serve no grammatical function, they’re typically used to communicate emotional intensity, which can be alarming to recipients. —Angela Haupt, Time, 28 Mar. 2025

For one, the safety risks associated with AI have been described as more alarming than other innovations. —Nizan Geslevich Packin, Forbes.com, 28 Mar. 2025

Word History

Etymology

from present participle of alarm entry 2

First Known Use

1658, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for alarming

• disarming
• arming
• charming
• farming
• harming