alarming
alarming — adjective
1. making people feel worried or frightened because something bad seems likely to h
making people feel worried or frightened because something bad seems likely to happen, or because a situation appears dangerous or out of control.
Coral reefs near Okinawa are dying at an alarming rate, marine biologists warned last week.
collocation: at an alarming rate
The new vaccine showed no alarming side effects during the six-month trial in Taipei hospitals.
collocation: alarming side effects (medical)
It is alarming that nearly 40% of teenagers in the survey reported feeling lonely every day.
Mr. Chen noticed an alarming drop in the company's monthly sales after the factory fire.
Reporters described the sharp rise in food prices as alarming for ordinary families.
- worrying
everyday word for general anxiety; slightly milder than 'alarming'.
- disturbing
stronger; suggests the news shocks or upsets, often morally.
- troubling
formal; emphasises a problem that needs thought, not panic.
- frightening
stronger and more emotional; focuses on fear rather than concern.
- reassuring
describes information that reduces worry.
- comforting
softer opposite; brings emotional calm.
文法句型
alarming + noun (rate, rise, increase, trend)
it is alarming + that-clause
alarming to + infinitive
用法筆記
Frequently used in news, medical, and scientific writing with quantitative nouns (rate, number, level, increase, drop). Often appears in the fixed phrase 'at an alarming rate'. Distinguish from 'alarmed' — 'alarming' describes the thing causing the feeling, 'alarmed' describes the person who feels it.