adjective
Other Word Forms
Derived 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
In the Mood? 100 Words to Describe Emotions
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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.
However, some are worried about the sustainability of the businesses due to mounting losses and have warned of the risk of retail investors getting burned as institutional investors cash in.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 10, 2026
The stock rallied from late 2023 to early 2025, but has plateaued since because investors are worried about how long the momentum could last.
From Barron's • Jun. 10, 2026
For those worried that tech is having undue influence on the direction of markets, indexes that instead give each company equal weight offer one alternative.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 10, 2026
Are you worried Social Security won’t be there for you?
From MarketWatch • Jun. 9, 2026
‘Don’t look so worried; it might never happen.’
From "Code Name Kingfisher" by Liz Kessler
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.
