alarmist

[ uh-lahr-mist ]

/ əˈlɑr mɪst /

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See synonyms for alarmist on Thesaurus.com

noun

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

adjective

of or like an alarmist.

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Which sentence is correct?

His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

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Origin of alarmist

First recorded in 1795–1805; alarm + -ist

OTHER WORDS FROM alarmist

a·larm·ism, noun

Words nearby alarmist

Alaric, à la rigueur, alarm, alarm clock, alarming, alarmist, alarm reaction, alarum, alarums and excursions, alary, alas

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use alarmist in a sentence

When Stamos proposed a redesign of the company’s organization to prevent a repeat of the issue, other leaders dismissed the idea as “alarmist” and focused their resources on getting control of the public narrative and keeping regulators at bay.
Review: Why Facebook can never fix itself|Karen Hao|July 21, 2021|MIT Technology Review
“At the risk of sounding alarmist,” she said, “people need to realize that this can still go bad in so many ways.”
Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine seeks to incentivize coronavirus vaccines with chance to win $1 million|Colby Itkowitz|May 13, 2021|Washington Post
She compellingly describes feeling pressure to not be an alarmist climate scientist—even though she was very alarmed—because scientists are taught to be dispassionate.
How Not to Feel Paralyzed by Climate Disaster|Heather Hansman|April 15, 2021|Outside Online
I don’t mean that hyperbolically either and I’m not generally an alarmist.
Is Google moving towards greater search equity?|Mordy Oberstein|March 10, 2021|Search Engine Watch

The people in this group generally aren’t as alarmist as the this-is-an-emergency camp.
Democrats Are Split Over How Much The Party And American Democracy Itself Are In Danger|Perry Bacon Jr. (perry.bacon@fivethirtyeight.com)|February 26, 2021|FiveThirtyEight
But no longer seen as alarmist, MSF are the heroes with GOAL, an Irish NGO, and the International Medical Corps among others.
In Sierra Leone, the Plague Is Closing in Around Us|Ned Eustace|October 13, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Graedon comes down firmly on the side of the luddites, but her vision of the future is less alarmist than alarmingly within reach.
This Week’s Hot Reads: April 21, 2014|Thomas Flynn|April 22, 2014|DAILY BEAST
I agree, of course, that health advice is alarmist, and increasingly contradictory.
If You're Fat You've Only Got Yourself to Blame|Emma Woolf|April 15, 2014|DAILY BEAST
While his statement may seem alarmist, even a senior official of the National Police Agency agrees.
Japan’s new Secrets Bill Threatens To Muzzle The Press and Whistleblowers|Jake Adelstein, Nathalie-Kyoko Stucky|November 29, 2013|DAILY BEAST
They're not, but the alarmist numbers are more likely to get media attention.
Department of Awful Statistics: Are Mass Shootings Really On the Rise?|Megan McArdle|January 28, 2013|DAILY BEAST
After the losses in our last battle, I trust that I shall no longer be regarded as an alarmist.
Nurse and Spy in the Union Army|S. Emma E. Edmonds
Berwick was puzzled but he knew that Jim was no alarmist who would start on a wild goose chase, without rhyme or reason.
Frontier Boys in Frisco|Wyn Roosevelt
The alarmist tells us that armaments are our only sure guarantee of peace.
The Fall of a Nation|Thomas Dixon
I am rather the other way, so they call me a cynic and an alarmist.
The Half-Hearted|John Buchan
In addition to the alarmist and the prejudiced, careful and thoughtful citizens were aroused to the danger.
Our Foreigners|Samuel P. Orth

British Dictionary definitions for alarmist

alarmist

/ (əˈlɑːmɪst) /

noun

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

a person who is easily alarmed

adjective

characteristic of an alarmist

Derived forms of alarmist

alarmism, noun

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

alarmist

Origin of alarmist

OTHER WORDS FROM alarmist

Words nearby alarmist

Words related to alarmist

How to use alarmist in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for alarmist

Derived forms of alarmist