alarming

adjective

alarm·​ing ə-ˈlär-miŋ How to pronounce alarming (audio)
Synonyms of alarmingnext
: 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.
Instead, government continues to grow at an alarming pace, into an unwieldy monster, impossibly big and unmanageable and expensive. Kevin Fixler may 3, Idaho Statesman, 3 May 2026 All of this has come at an enormous moral and material cost, with thousands of readers canceling their subscriptions and an alarming number of the Post’s finest reporters and writers leaving for other publications and platforms. Los Angeles Times, 1 May 2026 Most alarming is the suddenness of the regenerative braking system. James Raia, Mercury News, 1 May 2026 Progressives have managed to create a world in which an alarming and growing number of people have concluded that violence against political opponents is an acceptable form of protest. Chris Roemer, Baltimore Sun, 30 Apr. 2026 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 5 May. 2026.

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