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

At Cal Poly Pomona, director of media relations Cynthia Peters directed students and staff who were worried about being unable to access their course materials as a result of the incident to a Reddit post uploaded by the school’s Bookstore faculty on Thursday. —Kristy Hutchings, Daily News, 7 May 2026

But locals are worried that other companies could move in. —NPR, 7 May 2026

Bailey says one of the women, who is from Latin America, has been especially worried about sticking out in an overwhelmingly white community. —Linley Sanders, Los Angeles Times, 6 May 2026

The Dodgers are not worried that Ohtani will figure things out at the plate. —Fabian Ardaya, New York Times, 6 May 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