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scaremongering

scaremongering

7.8
Made to cause fear by giving exaggerated or false information
  • adjective
  • /ˈskɛrˌmʌŋɡərɪŋ/
translation icon : alarmista
  • The politician's scaremongering comments made the public more anxious about the situation.

Examples

  • Some media outlets have been criticized for their scaremongering coverage of health risks.

  • Experts warned that scaremongering reports could lead to unnecessary panic in the community.

  • The report was full of scaremongering tactics.

  • Stop scaremongering about the new virus!

  • The politician's scaremongering comments made the public more anxious about the situation.

  • Some media outlets have been criticized for their scaremongering coverage of health risks.

  • Experts warned that scaremongering reports could lead to unnecessary panic in the community.

Synonyms

alarming
vsscaremongering
94 3.7

Making people feel worried because something seems dangerous

seeks to create alarm by spreading exaggerated or misleading information
propagandistic
vsscaremongering
  • Literature
1 8.3

Giving biased information to influence people's views

is aimed at causing fear through exaggerated or misleading information
hyperbolical
vsscaremongering
7.4

Using language that makes things seem much better or worse than they are

adds deliberate misleading intent to cause fear beyond simple exaggeration

Antonyms

134 1.4

Making someone feel less worried or upset

78 3.1

Makes someone feel less worried and calmer

How Alarming

scaremongering
7.8
alarming
94 3.7
worrying
6 2.0

Surface Forms

scaremongering positive

Morphology

scaremongering = scaremonger (transparent) = scare + monger + ing

Adjectival uses come from the '-ing' form of the verb 'scaremonger', so the formation is morphologically regular and predictable.

Etymology

Scaremongering as an adjective comes from scare plus monger, where monger means 'seller' as in fishmonger, so calling something 'scaremongering' says it is trying to 'sell' fear and make people worried.