WORRIED Synonyms: 183 Similar and Opposite Words

worried 1 of 2

adjective

ˈwər-ēd

Definition of worried

as in upset

feeling or showing uncomfortable feelings of uncertainty the soldier's father had a worried expression as he listened to the news

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

worried

2 of 2

verb

past tense of worry

as in feared

to experience concern or anxiety they worried for days about whether the loan would be approved

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in alarmed

to trouble the mind of; to make uneasy those strange noises outside the house worry me

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of worried

Adjective

Voters are worried about the environmental impact, use of AI in schools and the prospect of data centers making their communities more expensive and less livable. — ABC News, 23 July 2026 Preservationists, meanwhile, worried about the impact of taller new development on Washington Avenue’s historic scale, typically running to one or two stories in most places. — Andres Viglucci, Miami Herald, 22 July 2026

Verb

Several council members worried the camping ban was rushed and should only be approved once a more comprehensive plan was formed to not only prevent people from sleeping in public, but to help get them off the streets. — Jenna Ebbers, Kansas City Star, 23 July 2026 That has Republicans worried about accomplishing much at all. — Burgess Everett, semafor.com, 23 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for worried

Recent Examples of Synonyms for worried

Adjective

Then Greyson mentions that things at school aren’t great and the kids are mean to him, and Jenn gets even more upset.

— Brian Moylan, Vulture, 24 July 2026
But even taken at face value, many appear upset at the disregard of rest.

— Miranda Jeyaretnam, Time, 23 July 2026

Definition of upset

Verb

For much of Sudan’s civil war, which began more than three years ago, civilians feared the fighting on the ground.

— Nimi Princewill, CNN Money, 20 July 2026
That summer, land next to the Okefenokee Swamp that was slated for a titanium mine was purchased by The Conservation Fund, spelling an end to a project some had feared could irreparably damage the fragile ecosystem.

— Drew Kann, AJC.com, 20 July 2026

Definition of feared

Verb

There is currently no evidence that this is the case, and news reports suggest that OpenAI’s own safety teams were alarmed by the incident.

— Emily Forlini, Fortune, 24 July 2026
America’s Poison Centers’s national helpline receives more than 60,000 calls about possible vitamin poisoning every year, mostly from parents alarmed after their children have accidentally gorged on the chewy sweets.

— Cat Rainsford, Popular Science, 23 July 2026

Definition of alarmed

Adjective

And investors are increasingly nervous about when and whether the mind-boggling sums being spent by Big Tech on data centers will ever generate returns.

— Allison Morrow, CNN Money, 23 July 2026
This can reduce uncertainty for patients who are nervous about traveling abroad.

— Nia Bowers, USA Today, 22 July 2026

Definition of nervous

Verb

The company’s shares are down double digits over the past year, as investors have fretted over AI’s impact on software, Microsoft’s reliance on OpenAI for most of its AI cloud computing business, and its heavy data center spending.

— Sebastian Herrera, Fortune, 6 July 2026
But the recent action on Anthropic, as well as asking OpenAI to limit its own newest model, comes after experts have fretted for months that Mythos could pose a security risk by giving hackers and other bad actors access to AI capable of finding and exploiting vulnerabilities exceptionally quickly.

— Hadas Gold, CNN Money, 27 June 2026

Definition of fretted

Verb

Tyson said the State Board believes the county’s elections remain secure and that voters should not be concerned.

— Nora O'Neill, Charlotte Observer, 25 July 2026
Bloomberg hasn’t verified the authenticity of those posts, which concerned a transcript of a meeting Liang held with unidentified parties.

— Haze Fan, Fortune, 25 July 2026

Definition of concerned

Adjective

Meditation, deep breathing, physical exercise or something as simple as doing laundry can interrupt the cycle of anxious searching.

— Rachel Hale, USA Today, 19 July 2026
Students are less anxious about money, less overwhelmed; their physical and mental health has improved.

— Jay A. Perman, Baltimore Sun, 18 July 2026

Definition of anxious

Verb

But despite the grave nature of his warning, Saltzman stressed that ultimately the shared nature of space means that all spacefaring nations should aim toward cooperation.

— Brett Tingley, Space.com, 22 July 2026
Madison Police Chief John Patterson stressed at a news conference that the footage circulating was just one perspective of what happened.

— ABC News, ABC News, 22 July 2026

Definition of stressed

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“Worried.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/worried. Accessed 27 Jul. 2026.

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Synonyms of worried

adjective

verb

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