- present participle of alarm.
alarming
Americanadjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of alarming
Explanation
Something that's alarming is disturbing or upsetting. It can be alarming when you hear a sudden, loud crash of thunder. The idea of climate change is very alarming to many people, and the sound of a police car's siren is alarming when you're driving. Things that are alarming grab your attention, and either frighten you or at least unsettle you. The adjective alarming comes from alarm, via the Old French alarme, which is rooted in the Italian interjection all'arme, a rally or warning cry, "to arms!"
Vocabulary lists containing alarming
The Magician's Nephew
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The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane
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Uh-Oh: Synonyms for "Dangerous"
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
It is alarming that we live in a moment of widespread ignorance that CPS caseworkers, like all fallible government officials, are bound by the Constitution.
From Slate • Jul. 7, 2026
"Hearing about this as a parent or carer can feel alarming, but you are not alone," it says, external.
From BBC • Jul. 3, 2026
Trimmed-mean PCE is running materially below core PCE — at 2.4%, versus 4.1% for core PCE — which means the U.S. inflation picture looks less alarming depending on which measure you care about.
From MarketWatch • Jun. 29, 2026
Earlier this year, crypto sleuths found an alarming series of transactions tied to two digital wallets controlled by the Central Bank of Iran.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 25, 2026
In conversation he listened with an intensity that was almost alarming, as if Belknap were the most fascinating man in the world, not just an elderly uncle visiting from Big Foot Prairie.
From "The Devil in the White City" by Erik Larson
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
