Synonyms of worry

worry 1 of 3

verb (1)

ˈwər-ē 

1

as in to fret

to experience concern or anxiety

they worried for days about whether the loan would be approved

Synonyms & Similar Words

• fret
• fear
• stress
• fuss
• sweat
• trouble
• bother
• stew
• give a hang
• agonize
• long
• sweat blood
• despair
• pine
• yearn
• chafe

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• accept
• take
• tolerate
• endure
• bear
• abide
• sustain
• stomach
• stick out

2

as in to bother

to trouble the mind of; to make uneasy

those strange noises outside the house worry me

Synonyms & Similar Words

• bother
• concern
• disturb
• alarm
• distract
• anger
• upset
• distress
• agitate
• unsettle
• discomfort
• plague
• annoy
• dismay
• haunt
• disquiet
• confuse
• fuss
• irritate
• derail
• discompose
• ail
• exercise
• perturb
• undo
• flurry
• freak (out)
• unhinge
• rattle
• embarrass
• fret
• bug
• weird out
• distemper
• exasperate
• aggravate
• irk
• frazzle
• discourage
• hagride
• harass
• vex
• chafe
• pester
• rile
• put off
• fluster
• harry
• put out
• pique
• grate
• get
• bedevil
• peeve
• faze
• gall
• shake up
• discomfit
• disconcert
• confound
• daunt
• mortify
• nettle
• dishearten
• unnerve
• abash
• discountenance
• jar
• chivy
• demoralize
• dispirit
• nonplus

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• settle
• calm
• soothe
• quiet
• alleviate
• compose
• allay
• assuage
• tranquilize
• appease
• placate
• pacify
• mollify
• conciliate
• propitiate

worry

2 of 3

noun

as in fear

an uneasy state of mind usually over the possibility of an anticipated misfortune or trouble

she can only concentrate on something when she is free of worry

Synonyms & Similar Words

• fear
• concern
• anxiety
• unease
• concernment
• uncertainty
• uneasiness
• nervousness
• apprehension
• fearfulness
• doubt
• agitation
• tension
• panic
• care
• disquiet
• disquietude
• discomfort
• stress
• apprehensiveness
• anxiousness
• dread
• sweat
• perturbation
• solicitude
• desperation
• anguish
• agita
• dismay
• nervosity
• upset
• distress
• disturbance
• tremor
• desperateness
• strain
• jitters
• consternation
• alarm
• angst
• suspense
• torment
• qualm
• distraction
• misgiving
• hand-wringing
• vexation
• presentiment
• jumpiness
• compunction
• discomposure
• franticness
• scruple
• edginess
• cold feet
• foreboding
• incertitude

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• unconcern
• ease
• content
• peace
• contentment
• calm
• quiet
• relief
• calmness
• serenity
• easiness
• tranquility
• quietude
• comfort
• consolation
• peacefulness
• placidity
• solace
• placidness
• tranquilness
• sereneness

worrying

3 of 3

verb (2)

present participle of worry

1

as in fretting

to experience concern or anxiety

they worried for days about whether the loan would be approved

Synonyms & Similar Words

• fretting
• stressing
• fearing
• sweating
• fussing
• troubling
• bothering
• stewing
• agonizing
• giving a hang
• sweating blood
• longing
• yearning
• pining
• despairing
• chafing

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• accepting
• taking
• tolerating
• sustaining
• enduring
• bearing
• abiding
• sticking out
• stomaching

2

as in bothering

to trouble the mind of; to make uneasy

those strange noises outside the house worry me

Synonyms & Similar Words

• bothering
• alarming
• disturbing
• distracting
• concerning
• unsettling
• upsetting
• distressing
• angering
• agitating
• annoying
• haunting
• plaguing
• dismaying
• disquieting
• discomforting
• irritating
• perturbing
• fussing
• confusing
• undoing
• exercising
• ailing
• embarrassing
• bugging
• derailing
• rattling
• unhinging
• freaking (out)
• aggravating
• exasperating
• flurrying
• fretting
• discomposing
• discouraging
• frazzling
• harassing
• irking
• vexing
• distempering
• hagriding
• weirding out
• pestering
• disconcerting
• harrying
• galling
• chafing
• nettling
• getting
• grating
• riling
• discomfiting
• mortifying
• unnerving
• putting off
• jarring
• bedeviling
• piquing
• peeving
• putting out
• confounding
• disheartening
• flustering
• chivying
• daunting
• demoralizing
• discountenancing
• dispiriting
• shaking up
• nonplussing
• fazing
• abashing

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• composing
• settling
• calming
• soothing
• quieting
• alleviating
• allaying
• tranquilizing
• appeasing
• placating
• assuaging
• pacifying
• conciliating
• mollifying
• propitiating

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

Recent Examples of worry

Verb

Yasmina is a far more practical businesswoman and is eager to get out of Lebanon for good, worrying for her safety. — Randy Myers, Mercury News, 19 Aug. 2026

Mere mortals have to worry about cutting extended family because of budget reasons, but celebrities don’t. — Lizzie Lanuza, StyleCaster, 19 Aug. 2026

Noun

While Africa holds some of the largest deposits, many are in countries that lack adequate infrastructure, compounding investors’ worries on top of fears that Chinese intervention could subvert ​project economics, Reuters reported. — Jeronimo Gonzalez, semafor.com, 20 Aug. 2026

The biggest worry for Arsenal, as ever, are injuries and availability. — Art De Roché, New York Times, 20 Aug. 2026

Verb

In Navarrette’s casting as Rogue, there was an implicit acknowledgement of the kind of shifts in consumer sentiment Marvel may be worrying about — away from IP-reliant spectacle towards something more homegrown and hand-spun. — Chris Lee, Vulture, 16 Aug. 2026

Instead of worrying about who booked a venue first or chose similar décor, the friends leaned on one another throughout the planning process. — Ashley Vega, PEOPLE, 14 Aug. 2026