care 1 of 2

noun

ˈker How to pronounce care (audio)
Definition of carenext
1
as in attention
strict attentiveness to what one is doing reading the report with more care the second time, she detected several errors

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
as in carefulness
a close attentiveness to avoiding danger take care while crossing the street

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in worry
an uneasy state of mind usually over the possibility of an anticipated misfortune or trouble on vacation, without a care in the world

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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

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6
as in stewardship
the duty or function of watching or guarding for the sake of proper direction or control you'll have care of the project from its beginning to its completion

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7
as in management
the act or activity of looking after and making decisions about something she stepped up and took over the care of the bank after her father retired

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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

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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
In kitchens, courtyards, bedrooms and on the streets, women shared jokes, secrets, gestures of care and moments of freedom. — Photovogue, Vogue, 29 Aug. 2026 The government created a national preventive care program decades ago and gave every citizen a right to regular checkups, which gave clinics a reason to buy expensive machines, which brought the volume that pays for the expensive machines. — Christopher Elliott, Forbes.com, 29 Aug. 2026
Verb
Users suing are hoping to force Meta to pay out damages, including potentially punitive damages, to every person in the US who bought smart glasses under the allegedly false premise that Meta cared about user privacy. — Ashley Belanger, ArsTechnica, 28 Aug. 2026 In many cases, the robot tail wags the living dog by tricking it—tricking us—into caring about obscure metrics, then gamifying the process of improving them. — Hillary Busis, Vanity Fair, 28 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for care
Recent Examples of Synonyms for care
  1. attention
  2. concern
  3. carefulness
  4. worry
  5. custody
  6. stewardship
  7. management
  8. watch
Noun
  • The Moon enters Aries and your 10th House of Career, Reputation, and Responsibility, putting attention on your public role, work, leadership, or visible commitments.
    — Tarot.com, The Orlando Sentinel, 29 Aug. 2026
  • Finally, markets this week paid close attention to news of the passing of former Federal Reserve Chair Alan Greenspan.
    — , CNBC, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of attention
Noun
  • While more than 100 law enforcement agencies across the country have ended their contracts with Flock Safety in recent weeks over privacy concerns, the company and the state of Georgia are deeply tied to one another.
    — Irene Wright, USA Today, 4 Sep. 2026
  • And as a result, the data centers built to enable this growth have drawn scrutiny from communities and across party lines, including concerns over higher electric bills.
    — Mia Osmonbekov, Fortune, 3 Sep. 2026
Definition of concern
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
Definition of carefulness
Noun
  • Bi is at work on a black gown with a veil, which Christian worries is taking up too much time.
    — Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 4 Sep. 2026
  • Meanwhile, worries over inflation, higher rates and high debt remain in focus, as benchmark borrowing costs around the world extend their multi-decade highs.
    — Justina Lee, CNBC, 3 Sep. 2026
Definition of worry
Noun
  • As of July 11, 70% of the nearly 66,000 people in ICE custody had no criminal conviction, according to the Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse, which analyzes federal immigration data.
    — María Luisa Paúl, USA Today, 2 Sep. 2026
  • Close to four years have passed since Iran’s Woman Life Freedom protests were sparked by the death in police custody, on September 16, 2022, of Mahsa Amini following her arrest for not wearing her hijab correctly.
    — Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 1 Sep. 2026
Definition of custody
Noun
  • But a group of local Jewish organizations object to his stewardship of a key cultural venue in the city.
    — Gary Baum, HollywoodReporter, 28 Aug. 2026
  • Since Jerry Buss built the Lakers into the NBA’s most glamorous franchise during four decades of stewardship, the team will now have a third controlling owner in as many years.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 26 Aug. 2026
Definition of stewardship
Noun
  • In addition to speech, our management of a localized fire for food, safety, and comfort is another uniquely human behavior, one that seems to have coincided with the development of complex spoken language.
    — Mike McRae September 02, New Atlas, 3 Sep. 2026
  • Shelley served as the Warriors’ associate general counsel and director of business and legal affairs and risk management, and Vasquez was the vice president of diversity, equity and inclusion.
    — Devon Henderson, New York Times, 2 Sep. 2026
Definition of management
Verb
  • To that end, here are the best rom-coms based on Shakespeare plays to watch—or rewatch—now.
    — Jessica Barrett, Vogue, 30 Aug. 2026
  • If that were to happen, the SEC's next move is the one to watch.
    — Trey Wallace OutKick, FOXNews.com, 29 Aug. 2026
Definition of watch

Phrases Containing care

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card tables
care
care and feeding
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Cite this Entry

“Care.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/care. Accessed 5 Sep. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on care

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about care

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