: 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
Synonyms
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 WebByerin Prater, Fortune Well, 16 Sep. 2023
The study identified a concerning statistic: 280 pediatric patients under the age of 18 were admitted to five prominent Australian pediatric hospitals located in Victoria, Queensland, Western Australia, and the Northern Territory, all battling the same infection.
—Sandra Rose Salathe, Peoplemag, 12 Sep. 2023
This type of attack is now considered one of the most concerning ways that language models could be abused by hackers.
—Matt Burgess, WIRED, 6 Sep. 2023
With a concerning yet incomplete picture of the problem, some worry that policymakers are left with a momentous policymaking gamble: take swift action to attempt to mitigate the risk or wait for more evidence while potential harms may accrue.
—Peter Charalambous, ABC News, 9 Sep. 2023
Still, the most concerning aspect of the Wall Street Journal poll comes in how voters see Biden and Trump’s respective outlook and records.
—Alex Shephard, The New Republic, 7 Sep. 2023
To the layman, the incidents looked more concerning than that.
—The Editors, National Review, 31 Aug. 2023
More concerning is that Wardle also found two paths that don't require root access to disable the persistence notifications Background Task Manager is supposed to send to the user and to security monitoring products.
—WIRED, 12 Aug. 2023
Perhaps more concerning than the surface was her devastating loss at the French Open last month.
—David Waldstein, New York Times, 5 July 2023
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Adjective
The duo is becoming one of the most concerning trends of the season, experts say, with nearly 20% of wastewater samples tracked by Biobot containing such mutations.
—Byerin Prater, Fortune Well, 16 Sep. 2023
The study identified a concerning statistic: 280 pediatric patients under the age of 18 were admitted to five prominent Australian pediatric hospitals located in Victoria, Queensland, Western Australia, and the Northern Territory, all battling the same infection.
—Sandra Rose Salathe, Peoplemag, 12 Sep. 2023
This type of attack is now considered one of the most concerning ways that language models could be abused by hackers.
—Matt Burgess, WIRED, 6 Sep. 2023
With a concerning yet incomplete picture of the problem, some worry that policymakers are left with a momentous policymaking gamble: take swift action to attempt to mitigate the risk or wait for more evidence while potential harms may accrue.
—Peter Charalambous, ABC News, 9 Sep. 2023
Still, the most concerning aspect of the Wall Street Journal poll comes in how voters see Biden and Trump’s respective outlook and records.
—Alex Shephard, The New Republic, 7 Sep. 2023
To the layman, the incidents looked more concerning than that.
—The Editors, National Review, 31 Aug. 2023
More concerning is that Wardle also found two paths that don't require root access to disable the persistence notifications Background Task Manager is supposed to send to the user and to security monitoring products.
—WIRED, 12 Aug. 2023
Perhaps more concerning than the surface was her devastating loss at the French Open last month.
—David Waldstein, New York Times, 5 July 2023
See More
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'concerning.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Concerning.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/concerning. Accessed 30 Sep. 2023.
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Kids Definition
concerning
preposition
con·cern·ing
kən-ˈsər-niŋ
: relating to : about
news concerning friends
More from Merriam-Webster on concerning
Nglish: Translation of concerning for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of concerning for Arabic Speakers
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