alarming
Americanadjective
Other Word Forms
- alarmingly adverb
- unalarming adjective
- unalarmingly adverb
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.
Its previous owners, Modella Capital, said in January that part of the reason it had to put Claire's in to administration was "alarming" low Christmas trading which left it in a "vulnerable" position.
From BBC • Apr. 27, 2026
The Atlantic’s recent exposé of Kash Patel is full of alarming allegations.
From Salon • Apr. 24, 2026
Delivery robots are both disappointing in their reality and alarming in their symbolic implication.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 14, 2026
By mid-March, alarming snow deficits all over the Western states were capped off by a record-breaking heat wave that melted much of the remaining snowpack.
From Slate • Apr. 11, 2026
He didn’t know exactly why all these banks were suddenly so keen to buy insurance on subprime mortgage bonds, but there was one obvious reason: The loans suddenly were going bad at an alarming rate.
From "The Big Short" by Michael Lewis
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.
