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

The growing trend of women leaving the medical field is alarming, driven by various workplace factors. —Tyler Shepherd, USA TODAY, 20 Dec. 2024

Likewise, when the news broke about Thompson's horrific death, the facts were alarming. —Dr. Marcus Collins, Forbes, 18 Dec. 2024

Meanwhile, while the length of Dow’s sell-off is alarming, the magnitude is not the case. —Yun Li, CNBC, 17 Dec. 2024

This is an alarming but technically harmless symptom: the nail or nails usually grow back normally on their own.2 A Quick Review Hand, foot, and mouth disease (HFMD) is a highly contagious illness caused by the coxsackievirus that commonly affects young children. —Sarah Bradley, Health, 15 Dec. 2024

Word History

Etymology

from present participle of alarm entry 2

First Known Use

1658, in the meaning defined above