troubled

adjective

trou·​bled ˈtrə-bəld 

1

a

: concerned, worried

troubled feelings about the decision

b

: exhibiting emotional or behavioral problems

a program for troubled youth

2

: characterized by or indicative of trouble

our troubled cities

troubled times

a gray and troubled sky

Synonyms of troubled

• worried
• anxious
• upset
• nervous
• uneasy

Examples of troubled in a Sentence

She seemed troubled about something.

These have been troubled times.

Recent Examples on the Web

Putumayo is one of Colombia’s poorest and most troubled regions. —Jacob Whitehead, New York Times, 27 May 2026

The careful toggling act Mozley does in this book between a troubled interior world and a troubling wider one sometimes brought Sigrid Nunez and Deborah Levy to mind, in the best ways. —Emily Temple, Literary Hub, 26 May 2026

Frustrated Seattle residents living near the city’s troubled Aurora Avenue corridor are taking public safety into their own hands after a violent weekend shootout rattled neighborhoods already plagued by prostitution, trafficking and recurring gun violence. —Stepheny Price, FOXNews.com, 26 May 2026

In the footage of the court proceedings that followed, Judge Newman seems troubled. —James Lasdun, New Yorker, 26 May 2026

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing troubled

• ease someone's (troubled) mind
• guilty/troubled conscience
• pour oil on troubled waters
• troubled waters

Rhymes for troubled

• bubbled
• doubled
• redoubled
• untroubled