What does alarming mean?
Word: Alarming
Part of Speech: Adjective
Meaning: Alarming means causing worry or fear, especially because something bad might happen.
Synonyms: worrying, frightening, disturbing, shocking
Antonyms: comforting, calming
How do you spell alarming?
Syllables: a - larm - ing
Tricky part: There is only one l. Students sometimes double it, as if the word began with all.
Watch out for: allarming, alarmeing
Memory tip: An alarm clock has one bell, and alarming has one l.
Alarming in a sentence
Example 1: The river rose at an alarming speed after the cloudburst.
Example 2: There was an alarming crack from the old tree in the storm.
Example 3: Doctors noticed an alarming rise in dengue cases.
Fun Fact
Alarm and alert both began as Italian calls to get ready: all'arme and all'erta, the second meaning to the lookout post.
Practise the CREST Way
Word Connection
Choose the antonym of the word alarming as used in the sentence:
The weather report for the weekend was alarming.
a) lengthy
b) unusual
c) puzzling
d) reassuring
Show answer
d) reassuring. A reassuring report calms you down, while an alarming one makes you anxious.
Spell-o-Spell
Only one of these words is spelt correctly. Choose its meaning:
1. alarming 2. reluctent 3. tremendus 4. distresing
a) unwilling to do something
b) causing worry or fear
c) very great in size or amount
d) causing great sadness or pain
Show answer
b) causing worry or fear. Tremendous ends in ous, distressing needs a double s and reluctant ends in ant; alarming is correct.
Word Cookie
Fill in the missing letters to complete the word:
ala_m_ng
a) l, i
b) r, i
c) n, i
d) r, e
Show answer
b) r, i. The r is easy to lose in speech, and the ending is ing.
Word Cookie
Find the extra letter in the word:
alarmming
a) m
b) i
c) r
d) a
Show answer
a) m. Only one m comes before ing; it does not double.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. Which headline sounds the most alarming?
a) Mango prices steady this week
b) River level close to danger mark
c) School wins inter-district quiz
d) New library opens on Monday
Show answer
b) River level close to danger mark
2. In 'The news caused alarm', which word is closest in meaning to alarm?
a) silence
b) delay
c) delight
d) anxiety
Show answer
d) anxiety
