worrywart

noun

wor·​ry·​wart ˈwər-ē-ˌwȯrt How to pronounce worrywart (audio)
ˈwə-rē-
: a person who is inclined to worry unduly

Examples of worrywart in a Sentence

My father is a real worrywart. tends to dismiss people concerned about global warming as a bunch of worrywarts
Recent Examples on the Web This is my main point: AI will produce wild economic times where the worrywarts have little input in the race to keep up. Clem Chambers, Forbes, 12 Feb. 2024 But the worrywart is now overdue for yet another detour, physically and metaphorically. Courtney Howard, Variety, 16 Nov. 2023 Each relied on what came to be viewed as a formula: verbal banter, cultural erudition, visual elegance and, of course, the filmmaker’s own on-screen persona of a talkative worrywart. Peter Tonguette, WSJ, 11 Aug. 2023 Instead, the Monday-morning quarterbacks of world affairs reasoned that the whole Y2K thing was the overthinking of IT worrywarts and catastrophizing futurists. Stephen C. George, Discover Magazine, 29 May 2023 Catastrophe has a way of sneaking up on Birbiglia, who has been invited back by Center Theatre Group for another amusing session of yarn-spinning from a world-class worrywart who, like those paranoids with enemies, genuinely has things to worry about. Los Angeles Times, 8 Aug. 2022 So what's a worrywart to do? Star Tribune, 24 July 2021 So what’s a worrywart to do? Scott Burns, Dallas News, 18 July 2021 Then came the pandemic and the resurgence of worrywart investing. William Baldwin, Forbes, 19 June 2021

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'worrywart.' 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

1936, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of worrywart was in 1936

Dictionary Entries Near worrywart

Cite this Entry

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

Kids Definition

worrywart

noun
wor·​ry·​wart ˈwər-ē-ˌwȯrt How to pronounce worrywart (audio)
ˈwə-rē-
: a person who worries without reasonable cause
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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