alarmed

alarmed — adjective

1. feeling suddenly afraid that something bad or dangerous may be about to happen,

1.adjectiveB1
Definition

feeling suddenly afraid that something bad or dangerous may be about to happen, often because of something you have just seen or heard.

Example

Zara was alarmed to find the front door wide open when she got home from work.

alarmed + to-infinitive after a linking verb

Doctors are alarmed by the sharp rise in flu cases at local schools this winter.

be alarmed by + noun phrase

Common collocations
  • look alarmed
  • sound alarmed
  • feel alarmed
  • grow / become alarmed
  • alarmed by the news
  • alarmed at the speed
Synonyms
  • frightened

    stronger and more general; 'alarmed' suggests a sudden reaction to a specific trigger

  • worried

    longer-lasting unease; 'alarmed' is sharper and shorter

  • startled

    physical jump-reaction; 'alarmed' adds the sense of likely danger

Antonyms
  • calm

    showing no sign of fear or worry

  • unconcerned

    not bothered by something that might worry others

Grammar Patterns

be alarmed by + noun

be alarmed at + noun

be alarmed to + infinitive

be alarmed that + clause

Usage Note

Almost always used predicatively (after be, look, sound, seem, feel) rather than before a noun. The cause is usually introduced by 'by', 'at', a to-infinitive, or a that-clause.

Common Mistakes

I saw an alarmed woman in the street.
The woman in the street looked alarmed.
for sense 1, 'alarmed' normally comes after a linking verb, not before the noun.
She was alarmed for the news.
She was alarmed by the news.
use 'by' or 'at' to introduce the cause, not 'for'.

2. having an electronic security device attached so that a loud warning sound is pr

2.adjectiveB2
Definition

having an electronic security device attached so that a loud warning sound is produced if someone tries to open, move, or break in.

Example

All the back gates in the warehouse are alarmed and linked to the security office.

predicative use: be alarmed (referring to a building)

Please do not lean on the glass cases; this museum room has alarmed display cabinets.

attributive: alarmed + noun

Common collocations
  • alarmed door
  • alarmed gate
  • alarmed vehicle
  • alarmed fire exit
  • alarmed display case
Synonyms
  • secured

    general term for protected; doesn't say how

  • wired

    informal; suggests connected to a sensor or alarm circuit

Antonyms
  • unalarmed

    having no alarm fitted (rare; usually phrased as 'without an alarm')

Grammar Patterns

an alarmed + noun (door, gate, car, building)

Usage Note

Distinguish from sense 1: this sense describes objects (doors, vehicles, rooms), never people, and is happily used before a noun (an alarmed gate). If the subject is a person and could feel emotion, sense 1 is meant.

Common Mistakes

The driver was alarmed and would beep loudly.
The car was alarmed and would beep loudly.
only the vehicle or place can be 'alarmed' in this sense; people cannot.

Word family

  • alarm
    nounA2
  • alarm
    verbB2
  • alarming
    adjectiveB2
  • alarmingly
    adverbC1
  • alarmist
    nounC2
  • alarmist
    adjectiveC2

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

All five words describe an unpleasant emotional state, but they differ in trigger, intensity, and length. 'Alarmed' is a sharp, short reaction to something you have just noticed that may signal danger — a strange smell, an open door, a sudden statistic. 'Frightened' is broader and often stronger; it covers both quick fear (a frightened child) and lasting fear (frightened of dogs). 'Worried' points to a slower, ongoing unease about something that might go wrong, with no sudden trigger needed. 'Startled' focuses on the physical jump caused by something unexpected, but does not imply danger. 'Anxious' is the most internal of the five, often a steady background feeling. Compare: 'She was alarmed by the smoke' (sudden, possible danger) vs 'She was worried about the exam' (ongoing, no shock).

alarmed ↗frightened ↗worried ↗startledanxious ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

  • alarmed look
  • alarmed expression
  • alarmed voice
  • alarmed parents
  • alarmed residents

Adverbs

  • genuinely alarmed
  • increasingly alarmed
  • deeply alarmed
  • slightly alarmed
  • visibly alarmed

Phrases

  • look / sound / seem alarmed
  • grow alarmed
  • feel alarmed
  • no need to be alarmed

Prepositions

  • alarmed by
  • alarmed at
  • alarmed about

Etymology

ItalianOld FrenchMiddle EnglishModern English

'Alarmed' is the past-participle form of the verb 'alarm', which entered English in the late 14th century from Old French 'alarme'. The French word came from the Italian battle cry 'all'arme!', meaning 'to arms!' — a shout used to call soldiers to pick up their weapons because an enemy was coming. From this military warning, the meaning spread to any sudden warning of danger, and then to the feeling of fear that such a warning produces. The 'fitted with an alarm device' sense developed much later, after mechanical and electrical alarm systems became common in the 19th and 20th centuries.