alarming

[ uh-lahr-ming ]

/ əˈlɑr mɪŋ /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR alarming ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

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

Nearby words

alaric, alarm, alarm clock, alarm reaction, alarmed, alarming, alarmingly, alarmist, alarum, alarums and excursions, alary

Origin of alarming

First recorded in 1670–80; alarm + -ing²

Related formsa·larm·ing·ly, adverbun·a·larm·ing, adjectiveun·a·larm·ing·ly, adverb

Definition for alarming (2 of 2)

alarm

[ uh-lahrm ]

/ əˈlɑrm /

noun

a sudden fear or distressing suspense caused by an awareness of danger; apprehension; fright.

any sound, outcry, or information intended to warn of approaching danger: Paul Revere raced through the countryside raising the alarm that the British were coming.

an automatic device that serves to call attention, to rouse from sleep, or to warn of fire, smoke, an intruder, etc.

a warning sound; signal for attention.

Animal Behavior. any sound, outcry, chemical discharge, action, or other signal that functions to draw attention to a potential predator.

Fencing. an appeal or a challenge made by a step or stamp on the ground with the advancing foot.

Archaic. a call to arms.

verb (used with object)

to make fearful or apprehensive; distress.

to warn of danger; rouse to vigilance and swift measures for safety.

to fit or equip with an alarm or alarms, as for fire, smoke, or robbery: to alarm one's house and garage.

Origin of alarm

1350–1400; Middle English alarme, alarom < Middle French < Old Italian allarme, noun from phrase all'arme to (the) arms. See arm²

SYNONYMS FOR alarm

1 consternation; terror, panic.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR alarm ON THESAURUS.COM

Related formsa·larm·a·ble, adjectivea·larm·ed·ly

[uh-lahr-mid-lee] /əˈlɑr mɪd li/, adverbpre·a·larm, verb (used with object), nounun·a·larmed, adjective

Synonym study

1. See fear. 8. See frighten.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for alarming

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|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|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|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|DAILY BEAST

All of this Ebola activity raises a number of questions, each of them alarming.
Is This Ebola's Tipping Point?|Kent Sepkowitz|August 26, 2014|DAILY BEAST
It was for the moment an alarming, and yet a faintly fascinating experience.
The Return|Walter de la Mare
To the first adventurer we may suppose that it would present itself with alarming force.
British Quarterly Review, American Edition, Volume LIV|Various
I can not take upon me to say that Arthur Campbell's beautiful pinions had touched the dangerous flame with any alarming results.
The Doctor's Daughter|"Vera"
Alarm no sun, alarm is thinking, alarming is determination an earth wide moth is something.
Geography and Plays|Gertrude Stein
Roy was smiling, as if the narrative told did not seem so alarming to him.
The Man of the Forest|Zane Grey

British Dictionary definitions for alarming

alarm

/ (əˈlɑːm) /

verb (tr)

to fill with apprehension, anxiety, or fear

to warn about danger; alert

to fit or activate a burglar alarm on a house, car, etc

noun

fear or terror aroused by awareness of danger; fright

apprehension or uneasinessthe idea of failing filled him with alarm

a noise, signal, etc, warning of danger

any device that transmits such a warninga burglar alarm

the device in an alarm clock that triggers off the bell or buzzer
short for alarm clock

archaic a call to arms

fencing a warning or challenge made by stamping the front foot

Derived Formsalarming, adjectivealarmingly, adverb

Word Origin for alarm

C14: from Old French alarme, from Old Italian all'arme to arms; see arm ²

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for alarming (1 of 2)

alarm

1580s, from alarm (n.). Related: Alarmed; alarming.

Word Origin and History for alarming (1 of 2)

alarm

early 14c., from Old French alarme (14c.), from Italian all'arme "to arms!" (literally "to the arms"). An interjection that came to be used as the word for the call or warning (cf. alert). Extended 16c. to "any sound to warn of danger or to arouse." Weakened sense of "apprehension, unease" is from 1833. Variant alarum is due to the rolling -r- in the vocalized form. Sometimes in early years anglicized as all-arm. Alarm clock is attested from 1690s (as A Larum clock).

Idioms and Phrases with alarming

alarm

see false alarm.

alarming

adjective

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RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

Origin of alarming

Definition for alarming (2 of 2)

alarm

noun

verb (used with object)

Origin of alarm

Synonym study

Examples from the Web for alarming

British Dictionary definitions for alarming

alarm

verb (tr)

noun

Word Origin for alarm

Word Origin and History for alarming (1 of 2)

alarm

Word Origin and History for alarming (1 of 2)

alarm

Idioms and Phrases with alarming

alarm