alarming

[ uh-lahr-ming ]
See synonyms for alarming on Thesaurus.com
adjective
  1. causing alarm or fear: an alarming case of pneumonia; an alarming lack of respect.

Origin of alarming

1
First recorded in 1670–80; alarm + -ing2

Other words from alarming

  • a·larm·ing·ly, adverb
  • un·a·larm·ing, adjective
  • un·a·larm·ing·ly, adverb

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use alarming in a sentence

  • My wife is very much better, having been the early part of this year alarmingly ill.

  • In fact, to her father's eyes she was somewhat alarmingly bright and fair.

    Mary Gray | Katharine Tynan
  • I had to calculate carefully how much these people could take without realizing there was something alarmingly different about me.

    The Double Spy | Dan T. Moore
  • His only brother, Francis, whose delicate health had always been a cause of much anxiety, became alarmingly ill.

    Heroes of To-Day | Mary R. Parkman
  • Since the migration of our people in such great numbers, the church facilities are alarmingly inadequate.