unalarmed

unalarmed — adjective

  • unalarmedpositive
  • more unalarmedcomparative
  • most unalarmedsuperlative

1. feeling no fear, worry, or surprise about something that would normally make mos

1.adjectiveB2
Definition

feeling no fear, worry, or surprise about something that would normally make most people feel that way

Example

Eliska remained unalarmed when the fire alarm went off in the office building.

remain unalarmed + unexpected event

After hearing the crash in the kitchen, the old cat lay unalarmed on the sofa.

Common collocations
  • remain unalarmed
  • seem unalarmed
  • stay unalarmed
  • completely unalarmed
Synonyms
  • calm

    more general term for a relaxed state; less tied to a specific alarming event

  • unperturbed

    slightly more formal; emphasises that nothing disturbed one's composure

  • unfazed

    informal; common in everyday speech to mean not bothered by something surprising

Antonyms
  • alarmed

    direct opposite; feeling fear or worry about a possible danger

  • worried

    less intense than alarmed; common in general contexts

Usage Note

Frequently used with verbs like 'remain', 'stay', or 'seem' to describe a person's calm reaction to an event that others might find worrying or surprising.

Common Mistakes

She felt unalarmed about the exam results.
She felt unconcerned about the exam results.
'unalarmed' implies staying calm despite a potential threat, not simply not caring.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

All four describe a lack of worry, but the situations differ. 'Calm' is the most general — it describes a relaxed emotional state in any setting, not just in response to a startling event. 'Unalarmed' is more specific: it implies that something potentially alarming happened, but the person did not react with fear. 'Unperturbed' carries a formal tone and suggests that nothing could disturb the person's inner peace. 'Unfazed' is informal and conversational — you might say a friend was 'unfazed' by bad weather or a last-minute change. 'Composed' focuses on self-control: the person outwardly shows no agitation even if they feel some inside. For example: 'The pilot remained unalarmed when the engine made a strange sound.' 'The teacher was completely unfazed by the fire drill.' 'Despite the shouting, the judge remained composed behind the bench.'

calm ↗unperturbed ↗unfazed ↗composed ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Prepositions

Etymology

ItalianFrenchEnglish

Formed by adding the prefix 'un-' (meaning 'not') to 'alarmed'. The word 'alarm' entered English from Old French 'alarme', which came from Italian 'all'arme' — a cry meaning 'to arms!' used to call soldiers to battle readiness. Over time 'alarm' shifted from a battlefield warning to any feeling of sudden fear or worry, and 'unalarmed' describes the absence of that feeling.