scaremonger
Dealer in dread
A scaremonger is someone who spreads alarming or exaggerated warnings, typically to provoke fear or anxiety in others.
The term carries a strongly negative connotation, suggesting that the person's warnings are overblown, manipulative, or self-serving rather than genuinely helpful.
Critics dismissed him as a scaremonger for predicting economic collapse.
The related verb scaremonger and noun scaremongering describe the activity itself: The tabloids have been scaremongering about immigration for years.
Predictor of catastrophe
- cassandraDisbelieved predictor of misfortune
- prophet of doomForeteller of calamity
- fearmongerOne who stokes alarm
- chicken littleUnwarranted panic monger
agitator · rabble-rouser · provocateur · inciter · firebrand · demagogue · sensationalist · tabloid journalist
Deliberately spreading exaggerated threats
- sensationalismOverhyped news coverage
- exaggerationOverstating beyond reality
- hyperboleRhetorical extreme exaggeration
- overstatementClaim beyond the facts
dramatization · distortion · misinformation · disinformation · propaganda · spin · fake news · yellow journalism
Uncontrollable sudden fear
- hysteriaUncontrollable emotional excess
- mass hysteriaShared irrational public fear
- fearEmotional response to threat
- anxietyPersistent apprehensive distress
dread · alarm · terror · trepidation · apprehension · unease · paranoia · distrust
Coercive psychological manipulation
- indoctrinationSystematic uncritical belief instillation
- psychological manipulationControlling others through deception
- coercionPressured compliance through threats
- exploitationSelfish use of others
gaslighting · astroturfing · manufactured consent · social engineering · demagoguery · agitprop · incitement · rabble-rousing
Global disease outbreak
- terrorismIntimidation through targeted violence
- immigrationRelocating abroad permanently
- crime waveSurge in lawbreaking
- economic collapseCatastrophic failure of finances
nuclear threat · climate catastrophe · invasion · epidemic · contagion · conspiracy · apocalypse · doomsday
doomsayer
Predictor of catastrophe
- cassandraDisbelieved predictor of misfortune
- prophet of doomForeteller of calamity
- fearmongerOne who stokes alarm
chicken little · agitator · rabble-rouser · provocateur · inciter · firebrand · demagogue · sensationalist · tabloid journalist · shock jock
fearmongering
Deliberately spreading exaggerated threats
- sensationalismOverhyped news coverage
- exaggerationOverstating beyond reality
- hyperboleRhetorical extreme exaggeration
overstatement · dramatization · distortion · misinformation · disinformation · propaganda · spin · fake news · yellow journalism · rumormongering
panic
Uncontrollable sudden fear
- hysteriaUncontrollable emotional excess
- mass hysteriaShared irrational public fear
- fearEmotional response to threat
anxiety · dread · alarm · terror · trepidation · apprehension · unease · paranoia · distrust · suspicion
brainwashing
Coercive psychological manipulation
- indoctrinationSystematic uncritical belief instillation
- psychological manipulationControlling others through deception
- coercionPressured compliance through threats
exploitation · gaslighting · astroturfing · manufactured consent · social engineering · demagoguery · agitprop · incitement · rabble-rousing
pandemic
Global disease outbreak
- terrorismIntimidation through targeted violence
- immigrationRelocating abroad permanently
- crime waveSurge in lawbreaking
economic collapse · nuclear threat · climate catastrophe · invasion · epidemic · contagion · conspiracy · apocalypse · doomsday · end times