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
- concernedly adverb
- concernedness noun
- underconcerned adjective
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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Words to Capture Tone, List 11
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List 3
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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.
Investors hoped the company would appeal to environmentally-conscious and vegetarian-curious consumers — or with anyone concerned about the meat industry and animal welfare — and take off in a fashion similar to plant-based milk.
From MarketWatch • Apr. 12, 2026
It suggests many are concerned that even if the conflict resolves, its inflationary effects will continue to ripple through the economy in the months ahead.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 12, 2026
She’s not as concerned with settling differences as with understanding the thoughts and emotions animating the clashes of her divergent characters.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 11, 2026
In a joint statement, some of the affected universities said they were "extremely concerned" by the move and were considering a legal challenge.
From BBC • Apr. 10, 2026
Jonah made sure he was looking away from Chip when he asked that, as if he was more concerned about watching for the bus than about hearing what Chip was saying.
From "Found" by Margaret Peterson Haddix
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.
