worrying

adjective

wor·​ry·​ing ˈwər-ē-iŋ 

ˈwə-rē-

: causing worry : creating reason for worry : troubling

a worrying trend/development

a worrying question

The presence of the knife on the stage of the murder was a worrying circumstance for Wilson.

—Mark Twain

worryingly adverb

When the secretary returned, she handed us an envelope that looked worryingly official …

—Caroline Alexander

… money held by households has risen at a worryingly slow rate over the past year …

—The Economist

Examples of worrying in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The club’s middle relief has been especially shaky in recent weeks, a worrying trend that could be ameliorated at the trade deadline. —Jacob Calvin Meyer, Baltimore Sun, 4 July 2024

At the same time, Solana, Dogecoin, and Cardano have dropped over 3.5% each on Tuesday morning, sending worrying signals. —Vinamrata Chaturvedi, Quartz, 11 June 2024

The frame can flex a bit, but not to a worrying degree. —Mark Knapp, PCMAG, 10 June 2024

There’s one potentially worrying sign as the franchise inevitably expands; the budgets keep getting bigger. —Rebecca Rubin, Variety, 1 July 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1817, in the meaning defined above