concerned
Americanadjective
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interested or affected.
concerned citizens.
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troubled or anxious.
a concerned look.
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having a connection or involvement; participating.
They arrested all those concerned in the kidnapping.
adjective
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(postpositive) interested, guilty, involved, or appropriate
I shall find the boy concerned and punish him
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worried, troubled, or solicitous
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of concerned
Explanation
If you're concerned, you're feeling worried. When your clumsy friend announces his plans to become a stunt double, you should be concerned for his safety, and if you're not, you're a lousy friend. The adjective concerned has roots in Latin terms for seeing clearly, as well as for being in relation to something. If you feel concerned, say for your neighbor who just bet his savings on a horse race, that's because you truly care for his well-being and you see that he's doing something stupid. Sometimes we use concerned to show the limits of our investment. As far as you are concerned, Madame X can jump off a cliff! You don't care!
Vocabulary lists containing concerned
Workshop 2, Part 1
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List 3
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Words to Capture Tone, List 11
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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.
Ministers are concerned the offer of free childcare for many working parents is being undermined.
From BBC • May 25, 2026
Many workers remain concerned about losing control or becoming less relevant as AI tools spread through the workplace.
From Science Daily • May 25, 2026
UN rights chief Volker Turk said this month he was "deeply concerned" by a Cambodian court rejecting Kem Sokha's appeal against his treason sentence on April 30.
From Barron's • May 25, 2026
While Gulf leaders are pushing for a diplomatic off-ramp, they were still deeply concerned that the current offer would leave them exposed, the officials said.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 24, 2026
The alarming news concerned a shady character who had recently joined the Swanburne board of trustees.
From "The Interrupted Tale" by Maryrose Wood
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.
