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

But core inflation, which excludes food and energy costs, was unchanged in the month, a worrying sign of how sticky higher prices may be outside of energy prices themselves. — Steve Kopack, NBC news, 14 July 2026

The risk is especially clear in Thailand’s neighbor, Cambodia, where a booming microfinance industry has led to worrying levels of debt among borrowers. — Angelica Ang, Fortune, 13 July 2026

Casemiro was able to coast through performances against poor Haiti and Scotland sides in two of Brazil’s group stage games, but Morocco provided much sterner opposition that exposed some worrying gaps in midfield. — Mark Carey, New York Times, 6 July 2026

In another recent study on the impact of AI on jobs, the California AI-unemployment tracker examined the state across industries, education levels and region and highlighted some worrying trends. — Los Angeles Times, 4 July 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1817, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for worrying

• currying
• hurrying
• scurrying