alarmism

noun

alarm·​ism ə-ˈlär-ˌmi-zəm How to pronounce alarmism (audio)
: the often unwarranted exciting of fears or warning of danger
alarmist noun or adjective

Examples of alarmism in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web But in reacting to it and preparing for what comes next, leaders in Washington and elsewhere should eschew the alarmism that has long warped cybersecurity policy. John Mueller, Foreign Affairs, 22 Mar. 2022 Five days passed before his body was found Features/Beat Writing Portfolio First place: Christopher Reynolds, San Francisco’s Chinatown is caught between past and future Arts & Culture Criticism Portfolio First place: Carolina A. Miranda, Beyond the 6th Street Viaduct media alarmism. Los Angeles Times, 13 July 2023 The Pearl Harbor experience, then, does not support alarmism. John Mueller, Foreign Affairs, 22 Mar. 2022 In our own experience, media coverage trumpeting CEO alarmism on A.I. from our recent CEO Summit far overshadowed our more nuanced primer on how CEOs are actually integrating A.I. into their businesses. Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, Fortune, 28 June 2023 Cancer phobia is hardly just the product of zealous health and environmental advocates magnified by media alarmism. David Ropeik, Discover Magazine, 12 Jan. 2012 As is typical, the release inspired reams of journalistic and political alarmism about what will happen when the program’s reserves (that is, its two trust funds) are exhausted. Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 3 Apr. 2023 More recent vacillation includes ever-changing advice on masks, a re-evaluation of the lab-leak theory, the confidence-undermining pause on the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, and now encouraging alarmism with misleading claims about the number of Delta variant breakthrough cases. WSJ, 5 Aug. 2021 The 60 Minutes segment with Paul Ehrlich might be a sign that his hard-core alarmism is dying off. Dominic Pino, National Review, 3 Jan. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'alarmism.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1842, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of alarmism was in 1842

Dictionary Entries Near alarmism

Cite this Entry

“Alarmism.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/alarmism. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

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