fearmonger

WOTD – 18 June 2025

Pronunciation

(Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈfɪəmʌŋɡə/
Audio (Southern England): (file)
(General American) IPA^(key): /ˈfɪəɹˌmʌŋɡəɹ/
Audio (General American): (file)
Hyphenation: fear‧mong‧er

Etymology 1

From fear +‎ monger (“dealer in a specific commodity; (by extension) person promoting something undesirable”).

Noun

fearmonger (plural fearmongers)

Someone who spreads fear.
Synonyms: alarmist, fearmongerer, panicmonger, scaremonger; see also Thesaurus:fearmonger

Coordinate term: hatemonger
- 2010 December 4, Evan Thomas, “The Deepest Dangers Facing the United States [print version: Why It’s Time to Worry]”, in Newsweek‎, New York, N.Y.: Newsweek, Inc., →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 13 July 2024:
  I think the Tea Partiers, despite their contradictions, are not all wrong about Big Government. But I worry that, in time, a clever fearmonger could manipulate popular opinion into an electoral mandate.

Alternative forms

fear-monger, fear monger

Related terms

fearmongering

Translations

alarmist — see alarmist

Etymology 2

Back-formation from fearmongering.

Verb

fearmonger (third-person singular simple present fearmongers, present participle fearmongering, simple past and past participle fearmongered)