adjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of worried
Explanation
The adjective worried describes someone who's uneasy or troubled about something. Imagine worried parents, up late, waiting for their teenager to arrive home from a party. Someone with a worried frown on his face always seems concerned. A worried email to your cousin who's traveling in the Middle East expresses your concern for her safety. The root of worried is the Old English word wyrgan, or strangle. It wasn't until the late 1800s that worried was used to describe feeling anxiety.
Vocabulary lists containing worried
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Hooked on a Feeling, List 2
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Cormac McCarthy's "The Road"
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Worried about their community in Islamabad, academics Umair Shahid and Taha Ali established the Curious Friends of Clean Air organisation.
From Barron's • Jan. 21, 2026
Worried about not getting those holiday gifts on time?
From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 6, 2025
Worried that an attack could be imminent, residents made a public appeal, late at night, for Lebanese soldiers to be deployed.
From BBC • Nov. 27, 2025
Don’t miss: Worried about a drop in tech stocks?
From MarketWatch • Nov. 4, 2025
Worried, she stepped onto the road and waved down a passing police car.
From "Bomb" by Steve Sheinkin
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
