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worry

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noun

Synonym Chooser

How does the verb worry contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of worry are annoy, harass, harry, pester, plague, and tease. While all these words mean "to disturb or irritate by persistent acts," worry implies an incessant goading or attacking that drives one to desperation.

pursued a policy of worrying the enemy

When can annoy be used instead of worry?

The words annoy and worry are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, annoy implies disturbing one's composure or peace of mind by intrusion, interference, or petty attacks.

you're doing that just to annoy me

When is harass a more appropriate choice than worry?

The meanings of harass and worry largely overlap; however, harass implies petty persecutions or burdensome demands that exhaust one's nervous or mental power.

harassed on all sides by creditors

When would harry be a good substitute for worry?

While the synonyms harry and worry are close in meaning, harry may imply heavy oppression or maltreatment.

the strikers had been harried by thugs

When could pester be used to replace worry?

The words pester and worry can be used in similar contexts, but pester stresses the repetition of petty attacks.

constantly pestered with trivial complaints

In what contexts can plague take the place of worry?

Although the words plague and worry have much in common, plague implies a painful and persistent affliction.

plagued all her life by poverty

When is it sensible to use tease instead of worry?

In some situations, the words tease and worry are roughly equivalent. However, tease suggests an attempt to break down one's resistance or rouse to wrath.

children teased the dog

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 worry
Verb
Does that kind of intervention worry Moore, a famously libertarian economist? Eva Roytburg, Fortune, 18 Oct. 2025 Customers with existing TiVo products, however, shouldn’t worry. Toria Sheffield, PEOPLE, 18 Oct. 2025
Noun
Despite growing worries about its side effects, finasteride remains just a few clicks away. Pranjal Malewar, New Atlas, 18 Oct. 2025 The commercialization of high school sports is arguably more of a worry given that the athletes are younger and less mature. Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 18 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for worry
Recent Examples of Synonyms for worry
Verb
  • This doesn’t sound like a strategy session by a party fretting about the state of play.
    Burgess Everett, semafor.com, 21 Oct. 2025
  • Despite all the fretting about the Eagles on the shouty national shows, this team will probably cook in November and December.
    Andy Behrens, New York Times, 17 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Such hard coaching would bother some players.
    Jay King, New York Times, 16 Oct. 2025
  • Continue reading … HIT THE ROAD – Duffy responds to trucker who 'couldn't be bothered' to learn English in America.
    , FOXNews.com, 15 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • Last week, the VIX—Wall Street’s fear gauge—spiked to its highest level since April before easing, amid new trade policy uncertainties.
    Emma Burleigh, Fortune, 20 Oct. 2025
  • Amazon Web Services suffers widespread outage MAJOR HEADLINES BAYOU MYSTERY – Democrat mayor's 'gaslighting' amid serial killer fears called out by grieving family.
    , FOXNews.com, 20 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • These demonstrations also stress a commitment to nonviolence.
    Cate Charron, IndyStar, 15 Oct. 2025
  • Plants spend all of their energy on flowering, so dividing during bloom time can stress their root development.
    Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 15 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • The other legend concerns a black magic practitioner who fell in love with a princess.
    Sophie Friedman, AFAR Media, 22 Oct. 2025
  • This is a doc not at all focused on the circumstances of her death and concerned more for celebrating and recognizing the impact of Selena’s life.
    Christian Blauvelt, IndieWire, 21 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • But last week saw an observable upwelling of anxiety, reflecting a break of the preceding low-volatility climb and some possible pent-up selling from historically elevated equity allocations.
    Michael Santoli, CNBC, 18 Oct. 2025
  • That anxiety is reflected in the polling.
    Martha McHardy, MSNBC Newsweek, 18 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • But practically speaking, this vodka mixes easily and well without having to fuss too much.
    Jeff Burkhart, Mercury News, 15 Oct. 2025
  • By re-creating the relevant latent representations, and not the missing pixels of earlier systems, the model learns to see the cars on the road and not fuss about the leaves on the trees.
    Quanta Magazine, Quanta Magazine, 3 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Staffieri was appropriately shocked and disturbed by both the antisemitic display and the breach of internal protocol.
    Marsha Sutton, San Diego Union-Tribune, 19 Oct. 2025
  • The plot was inspired by a Japanese news report that had deeply disturbed Woo, about a lunatic guilty of poisoning baby formula.
    Peter Debruge, Variety, 19 Oct. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Worry.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/worry. Accessed 22 Oct. 2025.

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