alarmist

American  

[uh-lahr-mist] / əˈlɑr mɪst /

noun

1. a person who tends to raise alarms, especially without sufficient reason, as by exaggerating dangers or prophesying calamities.

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adjective

1. of or like an alarmist.

alarmist British  

/ əˈlɑːmɪst /

noun

1. a person who alarms or attempts to alarm others needlessly or without due grounds

2. a person who is easily alarmed

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adjective

1. characteristic of an alarmist

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• alarmism
  noun

Etymology

Origin of alarmist

First recorded in 1795–1805; alarm + -ist

Example Sentences

Rita Yip, also representing the employers' groups, dismissed the union arguments as "inflammatory and alarmist".

From Barron's • May 21, 2026

“She is reading alarmist headlines about Iran in the newspapers.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 4, 2026

My tone may sound alarmist, but it’s my attempt to be realistic, especially based on the number of letters I receive from and about stepmothers in this column.

From MarketWatch • Jan. 20, 2026

Perhaps it’s alarmist to conflate the masculinity on display in “Warfare” and its promotional campaign with the rise in tradwife content.

From Salon • Apr. 13, 2025

“I don’t want to be an alarmist, but I know of nothing humans can do to return the moon to its orbit.”

From "The Dead and the Gone" by Susan Beth Pfeffer

Related Words

• pessimist