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 of worried

• upset
• nervous
• anxious
• uneasy
• troubled
• apprehensive
• concerned

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

So how worried should these teams be? —Shayna Goldman, New York Times, 30 Apr. 2026

People that maybe have a more precarious position in the industry and are worried and see AI as a threat — which is absolutely valid — and younger people, younger actors and musicians. —Andy Greene, Rolling Stone, 29 Apr. 2026

If Florida is worried about China’s rise, dismantling educational and cultural exchanges is a foolish response. —Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 29 Apr. 2026

And internally, Google leaders have grown increasingly worried about falling behind Anthropic in AI coding, as the startup’s offering, Claude Code, becomes a breakout hit product. —Bloomberg, Mercury News, 29 Apr. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1624, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for worried

• curried
• flurried
• hurried
• scurried
• unburied
• unhurried

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