adjective
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causing worry; vexing
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tending to worry
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of worrisome
Explanation
If something is worrisome, it bothers or upsets you. Your nervous dog may find the sound of thunder extremely worrisome. When the news reports are full of worrisome developments — crime, climate change, local budget cuts — it can be reassuring to hear some good news, which is why many news broadcasts also include feel-good stories about lost pets reunited with their owners and kids raising money for the local library. Worrisome things do just what you'd think: they make you worry. This word first appeared around 1820 in North America, and it's been used ever since for things that cause distress.
Vocabulary lists containing worrisome
-some
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Vocabulary from Readings 1, Unit 1
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English Language Development Texts, Unit 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.
Their central role in AI is increasingly worrisome to many across the political spectrum.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jul. 11, 2026
Fallen Hollywood executive Harvey Weinstein, whose health has been worrisome in recent years, is receiving medical treatment in New York after a fresh bout of reported health issues.
From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 1, 2026
“The leverage on both sides is very worrisome for financial stability.”
From The Wall Street Journal • Jul. 1, 2026
The most worrisome effects, Alter says, actually appear in those of us who sit nine hours or more a day.
From Barron's • Jun. 27, 2026
More worrisome over the long run was the reality of Utah politics.
From "A Deadly Wandering: A Mystery, a Landmark Investigation, and the Astonishing Science of Attention in the Digital Age" by Matt Richtel
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.
