worrying

adjective

wor·​ry·​ing ˈwər-ē-iŋ How to pronounce worrying (audio)
ˈwə-rē-
: causing worry : creating reason for worry : troubling
a worrying trend/development
a worrying question
The presence of the knife on the stage of the murder was a worrying circumstance for Wilson.Mark Twain
worryingly adverb
When the secretary returned, she handed us an envelope that looked worryingly official … Caroline Alexander
… money held by households has risen at a worryingly slow rate over the past year … The Economist

Examples of worrying in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web And while much of that increase was concentrated in lower-income nations like Kazakhstan, more prosperous nations, where higher vaccination rates had long made cases measles rare, are also experiencing worrying outbreaks. Megan Specia, New York Times, 3 Mar. 2024 Another worrying statistic: The nearly 4,300 households that became homeless represent a 24% spike from 2022. Ethan Varian, The Mercury News, 28 Feb. 2024 And that judgment has put Biden in the worrying position of having to placate his left-wing base, while praying that independent voters will turn against Trump and MAGA. Matthew Continetti, National Review, 24 Feb. 2024 In a worrying sign for Democrats, President Joe Biden is trailing behind former President Donald Trump in numerous polls. Brendan Rascius, Miami Herald, 22 Feb. 2024 Windward's analysis indicates a worrying decline in the number of container vessels navigating through the Red Sea's critical chokepoints, hinting at a shift in trade patterns that could have enduring repercussions on global supply chains. Dennis Mitzner, Forbes, 19 Feb. 2024 By far the most worrying thing is that women are not getting maternal care. Isaac Chotiner, The New Yorker, 14 Feb. 2024 Bayern's defense also has a worrying tendency to collapse under pressure, too. James Ellingworth, USA TODAY, 22 Feb. 2024 By staying close to a Polish government with some worrying tendencies, the United States bought time until, late last year, that country’s voters elected a coalition promising to strengthen its democratic institutions. Hal Brands, Foreign Affairs, 20 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'worrying.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1817, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of worrying was in 1817

Dictionary Entries Near worrying

Cite this Entry

“Worrying.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/worrying. Accessed 18 Mar. 2024.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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