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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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 by the recruitment of Tajiks into jihadist groups and by the Taliban's return to power in neighbouring Afghanistan, Rakhmon has sought to stamp out radical Islam.
From Barron's • Jul. 3, 2026
Also read: Worried about a lower Social Security benefit?
From MarketWatch • Jun. 10, 2026
Worried he might lose her entirely, he confessed his feelings, offered to take care of her financially and let her live with him.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 23, 2026
Worried about the possible arrival of photographers and camera crews, Simons closed his blinds, ordered a Domino's pizza and went to bed.
From BBC • May 15, 2026
Worried, he went down to the kitchen to tell his parents the news.
From "Chasing Vermeer" by Blue Balliett
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.
