Definition of carenext
1
2
as in concern
attention accompanied by protectiveness and responsibility that's an extremely valuable violin, so handle it with care

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

3
4
5
as in custody
responsibility for the safety and well-being of someone or something while you're under my care, you'll do as you're told

Synonyms & Similar Words

6
7

care

2 of 2

verb

as in to watch
to have an interest or concern for a teacher who cares what happens to her students long after they leave her classroom

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Synonym Chooser

How is the word care distinct from other similar nouns?

Some common synonyms of care are anxiety, concern, solicitude, and worry. While all these words mean "a troubled or engrossed state of mind or the thing that causes this," care implies oppression of the mind weighed down by responsibility or disquieted by apprehension.

a face worn by years of care

When can anxiety be used instead of care?

The meanings of anxiety and care largely overlap; however, anxiety stresses anguished uncertainty or fear of misfortune or failure.

plagued by anxiety and self-doubt

When might concern be a better fit than care?

While in some cases nearly identical to care, concern implies a troubled state of mind because of personal interest, relation, or affection.

crimes caused concern in the neighborhood

When would solicitude be a good substitute for care?

Although the words solicitude and care have much in common, solicitude implies great concern and connotes either thoughtful or hovering attentiveness toward another.

acted with typical maternal solicitude

Where would worry be a reasonable alternative to care?

The words worry and care are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, worry suggests fretting over matters that may or may not be real cause for anxiety.

financial worries

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of care
Noun
The ministry said the four new patients were in isolation and receiving care. — ABC News, 17 Oct. 2026 The level of care that OB/GYNs provide by helping individual patients find the right treatment is one of the most important aspects of the new guidance, Cansino said. — Shannon Firth, NPR, 16 Oct. 2026
Verb
The show’s relevance waned, and some of us grew up, moved on, and stopped caring. — José Criales-Unzueta, Vanity Fair, 16 Oct. 2026 Michael then parries back by wondering why Moon Chaser would even care about the drugs. — Noel Murray, Vulture, 16 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for care
Recent Examples of Synonyms for care
Noun
  • Amalia Ulman’s 2025 film Magic Farm, about an American team’s desperation to manufacture a viral trend in rural Argentina, is minor cringe for its pleasurable skewering of the attention economy.
    — Eugenie Brinkema, ARTnews.com, 17 Oct. 2026
  • No one was standing over my shoulder telling me to pay it special attention, but I was mesmerized.
    — Joan Martelli, Time, 17 Oct. 2026
Noun
  • Patients complete an online survey covering their skin concerns, history, current routine and goals, which is reviewed by a clinician licensed in their state.
    — Kathryn Hopkins, Footwear News, 15 Oct. 2026
  • YouTube Dividing Lines Drawn The inseparable relationship between YouTube and TV was clear for all to see at MIPCOM Cannes but serious concerns from the latter remain.
    — Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 15 Oct. 2026
Noun
  • This carefulness is clearly strategic.
    — Gary Sernovitz, New Yorker, 15 June 2026
  • There was no carefulness in it.
    — Zack Meisel, New York Times, 1 May 2026
Noun
  • Melanie Lawrence, a 68-year-old independent, worries about wells going dry in her area near Willcox, where the groundwater grew so depleted that the land started to crack.
    — Hannah Knowles The Washington Post, Arkansas Online, 19 Oct. 2026
  • In an interview earlier this fall with NPR, Los Angeles County's top voting official, Dean Logan, alluded to those worries.
    — Miles Parks, NPR, 19 Oct. 2026
Noun
  • Muñoz was put in handcuffs in his pajamas and taken into federal custody downtown.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 20 Oct. 2026
  • In a statement released by Acton's campaign, her brother, Philip Stearns, said the two were removed from their mother Donna Arthur's custody as children after their stepfather, Arthur's husband, was indicted for raping Acton as a child.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 20 Oct. 2026
Noun
  • Although more brands are embracing recyclable packaging in the name of environmental stewardship, most don’t know if it’s actually being recycled.
    — Matt Alderton, Time, 15 Oct. 2026
  • Proactive monitoring, compliance audits and documentation practices help anticipate regulatory shifts and demonstrate responsible stewardship.
    — Jennifer C. Wolfe, Forbes.com, 13 Oct. 2026
Noun
  • White said Salvation Brands is not to be confused with the big brand management firms such as Authentic Brands Group and WHP Global, which are getting all the attention these days.
    — Jean E. Palmieri, Footwear News, 15 Oct. 2026
  • Authorities in both countries were investigating the cyber incidents, which exposed vulnerabilities in some older refrigeration management systems and in the countries' highly efficient food supply chains.
    — JOHN LEICESTER, Arkansas Online, 15 Oct. 2026
Verb
  • Halpin watched the ball clear the wall in right-center then launched his bat over his head and into the sky before rounding the bases.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 16 Oct. 2026
  • Nevertheless, watching a sports car flip upside down and land on cold-gas jets was proof enough that flying cars are moving out of science fiction and onto the runway.
    — Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 16 Oct. 2026

Cite this Entry

“Care.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/care. Accessed 21 Oct. 2026.

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