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

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

The opportunity was to take more of our time with a very meaningful and full part of the story of [Jackson’s] life and not be worrying about a movie that was going to really be struggling with a hyper-epic length. —David Canfield, HollywoodReporter, 8 Apr. 2026

Fortune’s Amanda Gerut reports the company is worried the reputational risk could strain its relationship with $4 trillion chipmaker Nvidia, which supplies Supermicro with chips. —Jim Edwards, Fortune, 8 Apr. 2026

Noun

The worry is that dramatically lower office building values will shift a heavier burden onto residential properties. —Kenneth R. Gosselin, Hartford Courant, 8 Apr. 2026

Those worries also exist within the workforces of big AI companies. —Shannon Bond, NPR, 8 Apr. 2026

Verb

Danish policymakers were worrying about climate risk well before the storm. —Eric Klinenberg, New Yorker, 6 Apr. 2026

That's where Somali businesses struggled due to customers worrying that ICE might arrest them while shopping. —Jeff Wagner, CBS News, 3 Apr. 2026