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

a gray and troubled sky

Synonyms

• aflutter
• antsy
• anxious
• atwitter
• dithery
• edgy
• goosey
• het up
• hinky [slang]
• hung up
• ill at ease
• insecure
• jittery
• jumpy
• nervous
• nervy
• perturbed
• queasy
• queazy
• tense
• uneasy
• unquiet
• upset
• uptight
• worried

Examples of troubled in a Sentence

She seemed troubled about something.

These have been troubled times.

Recent Examples on the Web

Winning over the generation could be key to brands like the troubled Nike; Gen Alpha is expected to have a $5.46 trillion economic footprint by 2029, surpassing that of Gen Z and millennials combined. —Bysasha Rogelberg, Fortune, 27 Sep. 2024

Angelina Jolie goes through all the emotions in the first teaser trailer for Maria, which sees the actress portray the legendary but troubled opera singer Maria Callas. —Carly Thomas, The Hollywood Reporter, 26 Sep. 2024

Originally scheduled for an August launch, the mission had been delayed while NASA and Boeing officials worked to figure out what to do about the troubled Starliner spacecraft taking up the Dragon's docking port. —Eric Lagatta, USA TODAY, 26 Sep. 2024

The music journalist recently spoke to TMZ about his connection with the troubled mogul and their relationship. —Marc Griffin, VIBE.com, 25 Sep. 2024

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