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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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

With gas prices spiking and diesel at record highs, Republicans running in tight races are clearly starting to get worried. — ABC News, 27 Sep. 2026 Now Susan is worried about them doing this to the NIH grants. — CBS News, 27 Sep. 2026

Verb

In a survey published in 2025, students who reported more positive experiences with chatbots also worried more about feeling disconnected from other people and lacking emotional support. — Antonio Perez-Nunez, The Conversation, 30 Sep. 2026 Others worried the curfew could lead to over-policing of teens of color and that parents would be unfairly punished for their kids’ behavior. — Nick Sullivan, Charlotte Observer, 29 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for worried

Recent Examples of Synonyms for worried

Adjective

But there were clearly hundreds of Disney employees who were very upset about that.

— Todd Spangler, Variety, 28 Sep. 2026
Many have responded to Swan Song negatively, with RadarOnline previously reporting that some royal observers are upset that Spencer is looking to reopen old wounds while Charles is battling cancer.

— Lizzie Lanuza, StyleCaster, 28 Sep. 2026

Definition of upset

Verb

Emily Oneschuk, the sister of Andrew, feared her brother was radicalizing as a white supremacist and as a potential school-shooter type.

— Elisabeth Garber-Paul, Rolling Stone, 3 Oct. 2026
James Hager’s dramatic body camera footage, which showed him being battered, and Mansfield theorizes Lopez feared a conviction was likely.

— David Goodhue, Miami Herald, 2 Oct. 2026

Definition of feared

Verb

Ayesha Bell Hardaway, a former prosecutor who is a professor of law at Case Western Reserve University in Ohio, is alarmed by the dramatic variation across the country.

— Tim Stelloh, NBC news, 2 Oct. 2026
In voicemails played in court, they were alarmed by not hearing from Machado and her daughters, Julia and Daniela.

— Grethel Aguila, Miami Herald, 29 Sep. 2026

Definition of alarmed

Adjective

But Democrats are arguing that Trump is going to red states like Alabama because Republicans are nervous.

— Oren Oppenheim, ABC News, 29 Sep. 2026
The admittedly nervous executive started Monday’s news conferences by apologizing to the Clippers’ faithful for the aftermath of the Leonard situation.

— Joaquin Ruiz, Los Angeles Times, 28 Sep. 2026

Definition of nervous

Verb

Ultimately, the C-suite led with the name that signaled quality to the widest set of possible consumers (even if execs privately fretted about diluting the good name of HBO with a streaming service featuring thousands of shows of varying quality).

— Erik Hayden, HollywoodReporter, 28 Sep. 2026
Calls for a slowdown in artificial intelligence development sparked a global sell-off in technology stocks on Monday, as investors fretted over the sustainability of spending in a sector that has driven financial markets to record highs.

— Mary Cunningham, CBS News, 14 Sep. 2026

Definition of fretted

Verb

Treasury yields remain stubbornly high, but income investors don’t need to be concerned yet.

— Michelle Fox, CNBC, 2 Oct. 2026
During a press conference last week, when asked about Alligator Alcatraz, DeSantis said that staff were concerned they’d be accused of mistreatment.

— Claire Healy, Miami Herald, 2 Oct. 2026

Definition of concerned

Adjective

As in the thriller, anxious local leaders debated whether publicizing the peril would scare off tourists.

— Bob Drogin, Los Angeles Times, 4 Oct. 2026
Because of these risks, many conservation groups and lawmakers are anxious to see permanent protections.

— Christiana Freitag, Chicago Tribune, 4 Oct. 2026

Definition of anxious

Verb

But this is nothing that hasn’t been stressed for decades at this point.

— Stephanie Walton, Fortune, 29 Sep. 2026
Isaacman stressed that, at this point, there are no other contenders to supply capsules for missions to the ISS and that SpaceX and Boeing will be the only options for the foreseeable future.

— Adam Kovac, Scientific American, 28 Sep. 2026

Definition of stressed

Cite this Entry

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“Worried.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/worried. Accessed 5 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of worried

adjective

verb

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