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

Officials have issued precautions for people who live and work in the area, but should people outside the Upper East Side and beyond the five boroughs be worried about the outbreak? — Mike Stunson, USA Today, 14 July 2026 It's been feared, worried about, and at times cursed out, but the closure is here, and progress is coming along. — Chris Hoffman, CBS News, 13 July 2026

Verb

The City of Orlando, for example, announced a hiring freeze Monday, worried about the impacts of the November vote, which could slash property tax collections by local governments. — Brian Bell, The Orlando Sentinel, 16 July 2026 Initially, the Biden Administration worried that Ukrainian strikes on Russia would disrupt energy markets and lead Putin to escalate the conflict. — Joshua Yaffa, New Yorker, 15 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for worried

Recent Examples of Synonyms for worried

Adjective

After nearly losing, in what would have been a Cinderella upset, to a completely unheralded Cabo Verde, Argentina benefitted from questionable refereeing decisions in subsequent victories over Egypt and Switzerland.

— Ishaan Tharoor, New Yorker, 16 July 2026
Some Carowinds visitors were upset the park did not announce the roller coaster was closed sooner.

— Charlotte Observer, Charlotte Observer, 15 July 2026

Definition of upset

Verb

Amid the inextricable trauma of losing her 18-year-old child, the mother had feared that traditional funeral customs might be handled differently because of the manner in which her daughter died.

— Angie Leventis Lourgos, Chicago Tribune, 5 July 2026
Thousands of people are feared dead as the official death toll continues to rise and hope diminishes for finding survivors in the rubble.

— Brittney Melton, NPR, 2 July 2026

Definition of feared

Verb

The idea of abandoning the whole schedule alarmed several health officials, including then-FDA commissioner Marty Makary and Tracy Beth Høeg, one of his top deputies, four sources said.

— CNN Money, CNN Money, 16 July 2026
The prospect of mass deportations to a country reeling from deadly gang warfare, a deepening humanitarian emergency and record numbers of people who have fled their homes has alarmed Haitians at home and abroad.

— Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 16 July 2026

Definition of alarmed

Adjective

Some nervous observers are going so far as to swear off salads and other raw fruits and vegetables until the outbreak has run its course.

— Nikki McCann Ramirez, Rolling Stone, 16 July 2026
But Griffin’s recent donation to Moody is not the only indication Republicans could be more nervous about Florida than the Senate races in other bright-red states.

— Claire Heddles, Miami Herald, 16 July 2026

Definition of nervous

Verb

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
Copilot has struggled, and Microsoft’s shares are down double-digits in the past year as investors have fretted over AI’s impact on software, Microsoft’s reliance on OpenAI, and its heavy data center spending.

— Sebastian Herrera, Fortune, 27 June 2026

Definition of fretted

Verb

But American lawmakers are concerned and are sounding the alarm that commercially available adtech data and mobile communication networks aren’t secure enough to prevent that kind of spying.

— Alan Henry, PC Magazine, 17 July 2026
The 911 center took a call Wednesday night from a parent concerned that their adult child may be in danger.

— Clifford Ward, Chicago Tribune, 17 July 2026

Definition of concerned

Adjective

Max is accompanied on his adventures by anxious robot C-3PO AB Sitter, and FX, a magical alien masquerading as a toy who can turn the kid's implausibly impressive sand sculptures into fully functioning robots.

— Richard Edwards, Space.com, 5 July 2026
America’s centennial in 1876 was celebrated with a grand exhibition that projected an image of national unity and inventiveness in the anxious aftermath of civil war and recession.

— The New York Review of Books, The New York Review of Books, 4 July 2026

Definition of anxious

Verb

The French president stressed that Weaver’s greatest strength may have been her refusal to remain confined to the role of an action heroine.

— Elsa Keslassy, Variety, 15 July 2026
Today’s report backs up the argument repeatedly stressed by the BBC that while 94% of the UK population use its services every month, fewer than 80% pay the £180.

— Max Goldbart, Deadline, 14 July 2026

Definition of stressed

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“Worried.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/worried. Accessed 20 Jul. 2026.

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Synonyms of worried

adjective

verb

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