alarming

[ uh-lahr-ming ]

adjective

causing alarm or fear: an alarming case of pneumonia; an alarming lack of respect.

Origin of alarming

First recorded in 1670–80; alarm + -ing²

And then the voice of a dispatcher crackles over the radio with those alarming words.
Synagogue Slay: When Cops Have to Kill | Michael Daly | December 10, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
Yesterday morning, my in-box was stuffed to the gunwales with alarming messages alerting me to…to what?
Hooray for Liberal Fear-Mongering! | Michael Tomasky | October 28, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
As alarming as parents might find those results, Dr. Temple cautions against jumping to any drastic conclusions.
Sexting Is the New ‘First Base’ | Russell Saunders | October 9, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
Any time there is a new outbreak of infectious disease, it can be alarming.
What You Need to Know About Enterovirus | Russell Saunders | October 3, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
I glimpse an alarming, finger-length aluminum baton in her bag.
Best Career Arc Ever: From Burlesque To Bartending | Anne Berry | September 13, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST

Little boys when decking themselves out with tall hat and monstrously big clothes seem to be trying to put on an alarming aspect.
Children's Ways | James Sully
In fact, his whole appearance was so alarming that Davy anxiously inquired of him what he had been eating.
Davy and The Goblin | Charles E. Carryl
"I see nothing alarming over there," said the Captain of the company, as he swept the other side of the stream with his glass.
The Courier of the Ozarks | Byron A. Dunn
Seeing the luggage piled “Olympus high,” so as to occasion an alarming oscillation.
The Portsmouth Road and Its Tributaries | Charles G. Harper
At the same time alarming symptoms began to appear among the men of the sword.
The History of England from the Accession of James II. | Thomas Babington Macaulay

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