WORRIED Synonyms: 183 Similar and Opposite Words

worried 1 of 2

adjective

ˈwər-ēd

Definition of worried

as in upset

feeling or showing uncomfortable feelings of uncertainty the soldier's father had a worried expression as he listened to the news

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

worried

2 of 2

verb

past tense of worry

as in feared

to experience concern or anxiety they worried for days about whether the loan would be approved

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in alarmed

to trouble the mind of; to make uneasy those strange noises outside the house worry me

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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 worried

Adjective

Voters now thought that Democrats, like them, were most worried about the cost of living, then healthcare, then the economy. — David Weigel, semafor.com, 2 Sep. 2026 Allegheny County residents who are worried about possible exposures should call Allegheny County Health Department at 412-687-2243. — Finch Walker, USA Today, 2 Sep. 2026

Verb

Longer-term yields on 10-year and 30-year Treasuries were mostly flat, suggesting investors aren’t worried that higher rates will be needed for a long stretch of time to fight inflation. — Christopher Rugaber, Fortune, 28 Aug. 2026 Doctors are watching too, with some intrigued by the objective data and others worried users could mistake it for real medical screening. — Hanna Wickes, Miami Herald, 27 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for worried

Recent Examples of Synonyms for worried

Adjective

An upset victory in Alaska for Democrats would be a massive step toward achieving that goal.

— Joey Garrison, USA Today, 3 Sep. 2026
Clancy appeared upset during the sidebar but returned to the defense table with a stoic expression.

— Rebecca Cohen, NBC news, 3 Sep. 2026

Definition of upset

Verb

Escaping an energy collapse Things didn’t collapse as analysts feared at the beginning of the conflict.

— Katie Silver, Fortune, 29 Aug. 2026
Others feared the human cost of military escalation and warned that civilian suffering and regional instability could outweigh any political gains.

— Julia Vargas Jones, CNN Money, 29 Aug. 2026

Definition of feared

Verb

In New Jersey, the op-ed authors were alarmed by the bond’s staggering price and the impact that would have on the state.

— David Zimmermann, The Washington Examiner, 1 Sep. 2026
Such military cooperation has alarmed Israel, which is increasingly distrustful of Turkey’s intentions in the region.

— Paul Iddon, Forbes.com, 29 Aug. 2026

Definition of alarmed

Adjective

The letter writer is almost 40 and nervous about living with a romantic partner for the first time.

— Shane O’Neill, Washington Post, 3 Sep. 2026
That energy spike is reinforcing inflation worries in a bond market already nervous about America’s $40 trillion mountain of debt.

— Matt Egan, CNN Money, 2 Sep. 2026

Definition of nervous

Verb

Investors have fretted that Nvidia's growth has been driven by a handful of large technology companies called hyperscalers, which are building out data centers that end up largely serving a few frontier labs such as OpenAI.

— Kif Leswing, CNBC, 27 Aug. 2026
Benchmark oil prices also topped $90 a barrel as investors fretted that efforts to reopen the Strait of Hormuz were making little headway.

— Prashant Rao, semafor.com, 18 Aug. 2026

Definition of fretted

Verb

During a performance, Hankerson said he was concerned watching as his mom, who’s been performing for 75 years, fumbled through the set.

— Emily St. Martin, Los Angeles Times, 29 Aug. 2026
Some of that work instead has fallen on journalists, activists and others concerned that anyone with access to the company’s private camera networks can follow virtually any driver's movements with a query as effortless as a Google search.

— Kenny Jacoby, USA Today, 28 Aug. 2026

Definition of concerned

Verb

With students’ unmet needs often becoming more apparent in middle and high school, when academic demands increase and educators have less time and fewer resources to help, Ybarra stressed the importance of addressing those needs earlier.

— Chaewon Chung, Sacbee.com, 2 Sep. 2026
If your team achieves target KPIs and bigger business goals but is constantly stressed and burned out because of your leadership style, that success will likely only go so far and last so long.

— Sam Talya, Forbes.com, 1 Sep. 2026