worried

adjective

wor·​ried ˈwər-ēd 

ˈwə-rēd

: mentally troubled or concerned : feeling or showing concern or anxiety about what is happening or might happen

worried parents

a worried frown

I'm not too worried about the weather.

He was worried sick. [=extremely worried]

But the technological intrusion of prenatal testing leaves expectant parents more worried than reassured.

—Ronni Sandroff

There was an ominous and worried expression on their faces.

—Jack London

… his mother was so worried she sent for the doctor.

—E. B. White

worriedly adverb

"Well, what did you think when you heard the news?" Jimmy asked us worriedly.

—Bobbie Ann Mason

… Roy thought it was from a snakebite, and worriedly glanced around.

—Carl Hiaasen

Synonyms

• aflutter
• antsy
• anxious
• atwitter
• dithery
• edgy
• goosey
• het up
• hinky [slang]
• hung up
• ill at ease
• insecure
• jittery
• jumpy
• nervous
• nervy
• perturbed
• queasy
• queazy
• tense
• troubled
• uneasy
• unquiet
• upset
• uptight

Examples of worried in a Sentence

the soldier's father had a worried expression as he listened to the news

Recent Examples on the Web

Few folks are worried about how the yard looks, but Travis Hogan has a keen interest in green grass in January. —Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 13 Jan. 2025

But the more time Zuckerberg spends in Mar-a-Lago, the more Sam Altman and Tim Cook should be worried. —Alex Heath, The Verge, 12 Jan. 2025

Farmers remain worried that the lynx may prey upon their livestock. —Eli Wizevich, Smithsonian Magazine, 10 Jan. 2025

Through that period, McCourt grew increasingly worried about user ownership of data, after realizing that much of the data researchers at Georgetown wanted to access wasn’t available to them. —Phoebe Liu, Forbes, 10 Jan. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1624, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

worried

adjective

wor·​ried

ˈwər-ēd,

ˈwə-rēd

: having worries : marked by or showing worry

very worried about the test

a worried look

worriedly adverb