ALARM Synonyms: 238 Similar and Opposite Words

Q: How is the word 'alarm' distinct from other similar nouns?

Some common synonyms of alarm are dread , fear , fright , panic , terror , and trepidation . While all these words mean "painful agitation in the presence or anticipation of danger," alarm suggests a sudden and intense awareness of immediate danger. // view the situation with alarm

Q: When is 'dread' a more appropriate choice than 'alarm'?

The words dread and alarm can be used in similar contexts, but dread usually adds the idea of intense reluctance to face or meet a person or situation and suggests aversion as well as anxiety. // faced the meeting with dread

Q: When can 'fear' be used instead of 'alarm'?

While the synonyms fear and alarm are close in meaning, fear is the most general term and implies anxiety and usually loss of courage. // fear of the unknown

Q: When might 'fright' be a better fit than 'alarm'?

The synonyms fright and alarm are sometimes interchangeable, but fright implies the shock of sudden, startling fear. // fright at being awakened suddenly

Q: Where would 'panic' be a reasonable alternative to 'alarm'?

In some situations, the words panic and alarm are roughly equivalent. However, panic implies unreasoning and overmastering fear causing hysterical activity. // the news caused widespread panic

Q: When would 'terror' be a good substitute for 'alarm'?

The meanings of terror and alarm largely overlap; however, terror implies the most extreme degree of fear. // immobilized with terror

Q: How do 'trepidation' and 'dread' relate to one another, in the sense of 'alarm'?

Trepidation adds to dread the implications of timidity, trembling, and hesitation. // raised the subject with trepidation

alarm 1 of 2

noun

ə-ˈlärm

variants also alarum

Definition of alarm

as in dread

suspicion or fear of future harm or misfortune observed with alarm the man staggering toward the edge of the cliff

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in warning

the act or an instance of telling beforehand of danger or risk in a daring midnight ride Paul Revere gave the alarm that British troops were approaching

Synonyms & Similar Words

as in fear

the emotion experienced in the presence or threat of danger filled with alarm when the flood waters reached their front steps

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

alarm

2 of 2

verb

variants also alarum

as in to scare

to strike with fear I don't want to alarm you, but I think you should know there's a bear on your back porch

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in to concern

to trouble the mind of; to make uneasy alarmed at the skyrocketing cost of home heating fuel

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Synonym Chooser

How is the word alarm distinct from other similar nouns?

Some common synonyms of alarm are dread, fear, fright, panic, terror, and trepidation. While all these words mean "painful agitation in the presence or anticipation of danger," alarm suggests a sudden and intense awareness of immediate danger.

view the situation with alarm

When is dread a more appropriate choice than alarm?

The words dread and alarm can be used in similar contexts, but dread usually adds the idea of intense reluctance to face or meet a person or situation and suggests aversion as well as anxiety.

faced the meeting with dread

When can fear be used instead of alarm?

While the synonyms fear and alarm are close in meaning, fear is the most general term and implies anxiety and usually loss of courage.

fear of the unknown

When might fright be a better fit than alarm?

The synonyms fright and alarm are sometimes interchangeable, but fright implies the shock of sudden, startling fear.

fright at being awakened suddenly

Where would panic be a reasonable alternative to alarm?

In some situations, the words panic and alarm are roughly equivalent. However, panic implies unreasoning and overmastering fear causing hysterical activity.

the news caused widespread panic

When would terror be a good substitute for alarm?

The meanings of terror and alarm largely overlap; however, terror implies the most extreme degree of fear.

immobilized with terror

How do trepidation and dread relate to one another, in the sense of alarm?

Trepidation adds to dread the implications of timidity, trembling, and hesitation.

raised the subject with trepidation

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of alarm

Noun

Markets are flashing alarm bells over the euro zone’s second-biggest economy. — Jenni Reid,chloe Taylor, CNBC, 23 Oct. 2026 The police prefecture has urged shopkeepers to strengthen security, check surveillance systems and alarms, protect storefronts and consider adjusting opening hours or hiring private security. — Rhonda Richford, Footwear News, 23 Oct. 2026

Verb

The symptom that alarmed me most in that moment was the progressive skin wrinkling in some NCBRS teens. — Deepa Fernandes, STAT, 8 Oct. 2026 Smith brought the schoolbooks to her neighbor’s house, further alarming her neighbor. — Thomas Lake, AJC.com, 7 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for alarm

Recent Examples of Synonyms for alarm

Noun

The singer-songwriter’s seventh album is their wackiest and funniest to date, with a madcap gleam coursing through its synth-pop portraits of lovable weirdos and suburban dread.

— Zach Schonfeld, Pitchfork, 26 Oct. 2026
Moton lingered on the turf for a while, punching the turf in pain and dread, before a cart came out to transport him to the locker room.

— Alex Zietlow, Charlotte Observer, 25 Oct. 2026

Definition of dread

Noun

The Archuleta County Sheriff's office in Colorado warned residents to shelter in place Friday morning, and by the evening had issued an evacuation warning.

— Ava Berger, NPR, 24 Oct. 2026
Conventional early-warning aircraft have space for substantial radar arrays and powerful onboard systems, but their size and cost can limit how many can be deployed.

— Bojan Stojkovski, Interesting Engineering, 24 Oct. 2026

Definition of warning

Noun

Fortune recently reported on wealthy parents’ growing fear that their fortunes will sap their children’s drive.

— Molly A. Wallace, Fortune, 24 Oct. 2026
Coupled with job-displacement fears from AI, opponents now point to the facilities as a physical symbol of who benefits from the boom and who gets stuck with the bill.

— Luke Fountain, CNBC, 24 Oct. 2026

Definition of fear

Verb

Andriesz’s death comes four months after the BBC aired a news documentary featuring him and his allegations concerning Lutnick’s ties to Epstein.

— Julie K. Brown, Miami Herald, 22 Oct. 2026
This can be particularly concerning for people dealing with stalking, harassment or threats.

— Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 22 Oct. 2026

Definition of concern

Noun

There are so many organizations working to protect the voting process -- including many that cannot legally coordinate with each other -- that some officials involved worry about unintentionally creating chaos outside polling locations.

— STEVE PEOPLES, Arkansas Online, 27 Oct. 2026
Those talks collapsed over price and worries about antitrust pushback, neither of which hold true today.

— Rohan Goswami, semafor.com, 26 Oct. 2026

Definition of worry

Noun

Research has also found that across generational groups, greater user tendency to engage in social comparison, together with greater maladaptive ways of coping with emotions, is associated with more symptoms of anger, anxiety, and depression.

— Ashwini Nadkarni, Time, 24 Oct. 2026
The market for profiting off male body anxiety is nothing new.

— Gavin Francis, The New York Review of Books, 24 Oct. 2026

Definition of anxiety

Verb

For Cox and Walker, the challenge was to introduce horror-film conventions without frightening the franchise’s youngest viewers.

— Scott Roxborough, HollywoodReporter, 22 Oct. 2026
Guitarricadelafuente said he was initially frightened by the prospect of acting in La Bola Negra.

— Destiny Jackson, Deadline, 21 Oct. 2026

Definition of frighten

Cite this Entry

Style

“Alarm.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/alarm. Accessed 29 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of alarm

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verb

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