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.
Men and women both will find a number of alarming concepts in the gender-flipping comedy “Ladies First,” not the least of which will be the idea of Sacha Baron Cohen as a romantic lead.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 22, 2026
The trend that was most alarming to me was that young people stopped coming out.
From Los Angeles Times • May 20, 2026
"Plastic pollution has reached alarming levels," said Vincent Kunda, head of Kongo River, an NGO which raises awareness of the scourge.
From Barron's • May 20, 2026
The implications are alarming, since there currently are four industry groupings within the S&P 1,500 index that have trailing two-year alphas of at least 100 percentage points.
From MarketWatch • May 18, 2026
She gave a rattling cough, which Clare found alarming, since he hadn’t known birds capable of coughing.
From "The Undead Fox of Deadwood Forest" by Aubrey Hartman
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.
