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Definition of alarmed adjective from the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

alarmed

adjective
 
/əˈlɑːmd/
 
/əˈlɑːrmd/
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  1. alarmed (at/by something) anxious or afraid that something dangerous or unpleasant might happen
    • Ecologists are alarmed at the decline in the number of dolphins in the area.
    Synonyms afraidafraidfrightened scared terrified alarmed paranoidThese words all describe feeling or showing fear.afraid [not before noun] feeling fear; worried that something bad might happen:
    • There’s nothing to be afraid of.
    • Aren’t you afraid (that) you’ll fall?
    frightened feeling fear; worried that something bad might happen:
    • a frightened child
    • She was frightened that the glass would break.
    scared (rather informal) feeling fear; worried that something bad might happen:
    • The thieves got scared and ran away.
    afraid, frightened or scared?Scared is more informal, more common in speech, and often describes small fears. Afraid cannot come before a noun. It can only take the preposition of, not about. If you are afraid/​frightened/​scared of somebody/​something/​doing something or afraid/​frightened/​scared to do something, you think you are in danger of being hurt or suffering in some way. If you are frightened/​scared about something/​doing something, it is less a fear for your personal safety and more a worry that something unpleasant might happen.terrified very frightened:
    • I was terrified (that) she wouldn’t come.
    • They looked into the cave with wide, terrified eyes.
    alarmed afraid that something dangerous or unpleasant might happen:
    • He was alarmed at the prospect of travelling alone.
    paranoid (rather informal) afraid of other people for no reason or suspecting that they are trying to harm you, when really they are not:
    • You’re just being paranoid.
    Patterns
    • afraid/​frightened/​scared of spiders, etc.
    • frightened/​scared/​paranoid about
    • afraid/​frightened/​scared/​terrified that
    • afraid/​frightened/​scared to open the door, etc.
    • Don’t be afraid/​frightened/​scared/​alarmed.
    Extra Examples
    • I was slightly alarmed by what Susan told me.
    • He began to grow alarmed when he realized how late it was.
    • The doctors have decided to keep him in hospital overnight but there is nothing to be alarmed about.
    • The government is not unduly alarmed by these figures.
    Topics Dangerb2, Feelingsb2
    Oxford Collocations Dictionaryverbs
    • be
    • feel
    • look
    adverb
    • extremely
    • fairly
    • very
    preposition
    • at
    • by
    phrases
    • nothing to be alarmed about
    See full entry
  2. [not before noun] protected by an alarm
    • This door is alarmed.
See alarmed in the Oxford Advanced American DictionarySee alarmed in the Oxford Learner's Dictionary of Academic English

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