student asking question

As a verb, what's the main difference between "warn" and "alarm?"

teacher

Native speaker’s answer

Rebecca

"To alarm someone" means to make someone "alarmed". (Alarmed - frightened, disturbed or feeling danger.) "To warn someone" means to give them information about something that has or may harm them in some way. Someone who is "alarmed" generally feels afraid, someone who is "warned" simply has additional information and the word carries no meaning associated with emotions. We would never say "to alarm someone" if we want to give them information, and it is also not a commonly used expression in general. In most cases, we would use "alarmed" and it is generally used in the negative (telling someone not to feel afraid). Ex: Don't be alarmed, but we have to evacuate the building because of safety concerns. Ex: Not to alarm you, but we've missed the deadline for our project. It is also possible to describe something as "alarming" if it causes someone to have feelings of fear or concern. Ex: There is an alarming lack of work being done in this office. We may fail to meet our quota. Ex: The doctor noticed an alarming increase in the patient's temperature.

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