: causing concern or worry : creating reason for concern : troubling
found the latest reports very concerning
"It's extremely concerning that drivers still choose to give their attention to things other than the road when they're behind the wheel," said [Texas Department of Transportation] Executive Director James Bass.—
The Nueces County Record Star
The Nueces County Record Star… carbapenems should not be administered to patients with positive penicillin skin test results or a concerning history of a type I allergic response to penicillin.—Alan R. Salkind et al.
Alan R. Salkind et al.
concerningly
adverb
Of course, South Carolina roads are also concerningly dangerous for sober drivers. In 2015, the state ranked 7th for traffic deaths overall …
—The Post & Courier [Charleston, South Carolina]
The Post & Courier [Charleston, South Carolina]
"The waivers have driven destruction in Native American burial sites. They have killed thousands of species and fragmented habitat. Most concerningly, there is zero accountability or consequence for these outcomes."
—Gloria Smith
Gloria Smith
Examples of concerning in a Sentence
Preposition
we had a meeting with the principal today concerning the new policy on student-run organizations
Recent Examples on the Web
Elena Moore, NPR, 7 Oct. 2025
The Houston Texans have been holding out hope that star running back Joe Mixon would return to playing after he was hit with a very concerning and undisclosed injury.
—James Brizuela, MSNBC Newsweek, 7 Oct. 2025
Most concerning, Texas ran for a putrid 52 yards on 26 attempts, all but hand-delivering Oklahoma coach and defensive guru Brent Venables the blueprint for how to shut the Longhorns down next week in the Red River Showdown.
—Grace Raynor, New York Times, 5 Oct. 2025
More concerning, Russian nuclear saber rattling has reanimated concerns in Europe and elsewhere that revisionist powers might use nuclear coercion to pursue wars of aggression.
—Mariano-Florentino CuÉllar, Foreign Affairs, 25 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for concerning
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Adjective
The indictment — and the machinations that led to it — are the latest, and arguably most concerning, example of what many legal observers point to as the politicization and weaponization of the department under Bondi.
—Elena Moore, NPR, 7 Oct. 2025
The Houston Texans have been holding out hope that star running back Joe Mixon would return to playing after he was hit with a very concerning and undisclosed injury.
—James Brizuela, MSNBC Newsweek, 7 Oct. 2025
Most concerning, Texas ran for a putrid 52 yards on 26 attempts, all but hand-delivering Oklahoma coach and defensive guru Brent Venables the blueprint for how to shut the Longhorns down next week in the Red River Showdown.
—Grace Raynor, New York Times, 5 Oct. 2025
More concerning, Russian nuclear saber rattling has reanimated concerns in Europe and elsewhere that revisionist powers might use nuclear coercion to pursue wars of aggression.
—Mariano-Florentino CuÉllar, Foreign Affairs, 25 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for concerning
Cite this Entry
“Concerning.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/concerning. Accessed 15 Oct. 2025.
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