ALARMIST Synonyms: 47 Similar and Opposite Words

alarmist

noun

Definition of alarmist

as in extremist

Related Words

Relevance

Dissimilar Words

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 alarmist Colorado Education Commissioner Susana Córdova said the results showed opportunities for improvement, but cautioned against alarmist interpretations. — Meg Wingerter, Denver Post, 19 Aug. 2026 And sure, six to eight weeks of emergency supplies might sound a little alarmist — maybe borderline doomsday prep-y. — Amber Harding Outkick, FOXNews.com, 31 July 2026 But these predictions were often shrugged off as hypothetical or alarmist and failed to stir public or government action. — Jeremy Kahn, Fortune, 22 July 2026 An alarmist might worry about the possibility of an upcoming summer without baseball. — Andy McCullough, New York Times, 15 July 2026 Even temporary sales slumps breed alarmist pronouncements; book parties in disfavored genres begin to feel like wakes, sending off one more spirit to the inevitable afterworld of the remainder shelf. — Gal Beckerman, The Atlantic, 2 July 2026 The title struck some readers as alarmist. — Joseph Andrew, Forbes.com, 19 June 2026 But the film received criticism in the aftermath of its release, with some naysayers accusing it of being alarmist or exaggerated. — Julia Jacobo, ABC News, 16 June 2026 Gaspar took the unusual step of naming the teachers publicly, a move that Sanchez’s supporters call alarmist. — Don Stacom, Hartford Courant, 3 May 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for alarmist

Noun

The groups similarly present themselves as armed community defenders against the government or right-wing extremists, but continue to find members who get in trouble with law enforcement.

— Hudson Crozier, The Washington Examiner, 9 Oct. 2026
Labour legislator Jo Cox was shot and stabbed in 2016 by a far-right extremist, and Conservative David Amess was stabbed in 2021 by an attacker inspired by the Islamic State group.

— ABC News, ABC News, 9 Oct. 2026

Definition of extremist

Noun

The Saudis did not blame any party for the attacks, but Houthi rebels took credit earlier for the airport strikes.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 8 Oct. 2026
Attacks by the Houthis, the Yemeni rebel group, on commercial shipping in the Red Sea over the last three years have pushed major carriers around the Cape of Good Hope, boosting traffic at ports along Africa’s southern and western coasts.

— Jared Cohen, Foreign Affairs, 7 Oct. 2026

Definition of rebel

Noun

Hiller plays Aldrict, an old-world vampire who has crossed paths with Liz several times over the centuries and is a bit of a troublemaker.

— Peter White, Deadline, 30 Sep. 2026
Speaking at the 9/11 memorial ceremony, the son of one of the victims, in an impassioned plea, called on troublemakers to stop using the day to spread Islamophobia and hate.

— Leonard Greene, New York Daily News, 11 Sep. 2026

Definition of troublemaker

Noun

The move followed the ousting in a wider government reshuffle last week of tech-savvy reformist Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov, which brought out into the open the deep divisions in the Ukrainian defense leadership.

— Reuters, NBC news, 22 July 2026
Pezeshkian, a reformist within Iran’s theocracy, is the highest-ranking official within Iran to reference the release of the funds held by Qatar.

— Jon Gambrell, Los Angeles Times, 29 June 2026

Definition of reformist

Noun

They’re seen as oligarchs, as the people with wealth and power, controlling our lives—not as outsider insurgents.

— Nicholas Lemann, New Yorker, 4 Oct. 2026
Others look further back to early and sporadic insurgent activity in 1964, before the UDI, or to 1965, the year of the UDI (November 11) itself.

— Chinatsu Tsuji, Encyclopedia Britannica, 29 Sep. 2026

Definition of insurgent

Noun

Every night, after Jesus died on the cross, my apostles gently helped me down from the chain-link fence to which I had been lashed.

— Victor Garber, Vulture, 17 Sep. 2026
Bethsaida, close to Jesus' ministry in Capernaum, was once the home of the apostles Peter, Andrew and Philip.

— Andrea Margolis, FOXNews.com, 11 Sep. 2026

Definition of apostle

Noun

On the other side of the campaign, John Adams was labeled by Jefferson's proponents as a monarchist with aspirations to become king of the new United States.

— Cal Thomas, Arkansas Online, 6 Oct. 2026
Curiously, few of these proponents ever mention the New York Mets and their spending.

— Ian Miller OutKick, FOXNews.com, 6 Oct. 2026

Definition of proponent

Browse Nearby Words

alarmingly

alarmist

alarmists

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Alarmist.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/alarmist. Accessed 11 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of alarmist

noun

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

galore

Popular in Grammar & Usage

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

Popular in Wordplay

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

7 Words for Bad Endings and Rough Situations

The Words of the Week - Oct. 9

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

Popular

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Games & Quizzes