ALARMIST Synonyms: 47 Similar and Opposite Words

alarmist

noun

Definition of alarmist

as in extremist

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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

Muslim students should not be expected to answer for extremists who claim to speak in the name of Islam.

— Rabbi Bruce D. Forman, Sun Sentinel, 13 Oct. 2026
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

Definition of extremist

Noun

The latest conflict between the Saudis and the Houthis began last month after the rebels seized key areas along the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, a critical waterway for oil shipments.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 16 Oct. 2026
The latest conflict between the Saudis and the Houthis began last month after the rebels seized key areas along the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, a critical waterway for Gulf oil shipments.

— ABC News, ABC News, 15 Oct. 2026

Definition of rebel

Noun

The protests against the underfunding of schools — many of them struggling with dilapidated facilities and insufficient staff — have drawn troublemakers not concerned about the aims of the protest movement as well as unions and political groups.

— ABC News, ABC News, 8 Oct. 2026
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

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

Raman, who now occupies the insurgent role in the race, seemed to see the fires less as an indictment of the system than of Bass.

— Benjamin Wallace-Wells, New Yorker, 18 Oct. 2026
Rwanda has acknowledged defensive â€œsecurity coordinationâ€� with the M23 insurgents, who have held large swaths of mineral-rich eastern DR Congo for more than a year.

— Ruben Nyanguila, semafor.com, 14 Oct. 2026

Definition of insurgent

Noun

Despite the church’s efforts, male Catholic bishops whose identities have not been publicly revealed later ordained two of the women as bishops with the aim of preserving the line of succession from Jesus’ apostles to present-day bishops.

— Jonathan Bullington, Chicago Tribune, 18 Oct. 2026
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

Definition of apostle

Noun

One of the leading proponents of an energy-centric view of disease is Martin Picard, a biologist who directs the Mitochondrial Psychobiology Group at Columbia University.

— Rowan Jacobsen, Scientific American, 20 Oct. 2026
The No campaign accused measure proponents of misusing the state office.

— Andrew Graham, Sacbee.com, 20 Oct. 2026

Definition of proponent

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“Alarmist.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/alarmist. Accessed 21 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of alarmist

noun

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