Meaning & use
alarming
Last updated
Meanings
adjectivecomparable
Causing worry or fear because it suggests something bad or dangerous may happen.
Grammar: Can come before a noun or after a verb: an alarming rise, the news was alarming.
Patterns
- an alarming rate
- it is alarming that ...
- alarming for someone
The doctor noticed an alarming drop in her blood pressure.
It is alarming that so many bridges have not been inspected.
Prices have risen at an alarming rate this year.
verbtransitive
Present participle of alarm: making someone feel worried or frightened.
Grammar: Takes an object: the noise is alarming the children.
Patterns
- alarming someone
The sudden noise is alarming the horses.
She hesitated, not wanting to be alarming the guests with bad news.
The report is alarming residents who live near the river.
Word forms
| comparative | more alarming |
|---|---|
| superlative | most alarming |
Common combinations
- an alarming rate
- The glaciers are melting at an alarming rate.
- alarming news
- We received alarming news from the hospital.
- alarming increase
- Officials reported an alarming increase in cases.
- deeply alarming
- The lack of safety checks is deeply alarming.
- find it alarming
- Many parents find it alarming that children spend so much time online.
Synonyms and how they differ
- worrying
- This is milder and more everyday, while alarming suggests a sharper sense of danger.
- frightening
- This stresses fear, while alarming can describe something that is serious without causing terror.
- disturbing
- This points to something that upsets your feelings or beliefs, while alarming points to a warning of danger.
- shocking
- This stresses surprise and moral upset, while alarming stresses worry about what may follow.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: alarming or alarmed? alarming or alarmist?
alarming vs alarmed
Alarmed describes how a person feels, as in she was alarmed, while alarming describes what causes the feeling, as in the news was alarming.
alarming vs alarmist
An alarmist is a person who exaggerates danger, whereas alarming describes something that really is worrying.
Practice
Doctors were worried by the ___ speed at which the disease spread through the town.
Choose one answer.
Alarming is the adjective describing the speed as worrying. Alarmed describes a person's feeling, alarmist describes a person who exaggerates, and alarm is a noun.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “alarming”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.