alarming

adjective

alarm·​ing ə-ˈlär-miŋ How to pronounce alarming (audio)
: 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

Examples of alarming in a Sentence

an alarming rise in her fever, causing the doctor to fear the worst
Recent Examples on the Web
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.
As emphasized by the UN, the denial of humanitarian access has reached an alarming scale, with more humanitarian workers, including United Nations personnel, killed in 2024 than ever before. Dr. Ewelina U. Ochab, Forbes.com, 14 Sep. 2025 Be suspicious of urgent messages One of the most alarming details in the Anthropic report was how the hacker used AI to craft convincing extortion notes. Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 13 Sep. 2025 This dynamic—a young shooter who seems to have no barriers between fringe online life and the real world—has become an alarming meme unto itself. Charlie Warzel, The Atlantic, 12 Sep. 2025 However, the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) would have the power to overrule decisions from independent agencies dedicated to consumer protection, alarming critics who fear AI companies could bribe officials through political donations to void laws. Ashley Belanger, ArsTechnica, 11 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for alarming

Word History

Etymology

from present participle of alarm entry 2

First Known Use

1658, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of alarming was in 1658

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Cite this Entry

“Alarming.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/alarming. Accessed 17 Sep. 2025.

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