worrying

adjective

wor·​ry·​ing ˈwər-ē-iŋ How to pronounce worrying (audio)
ˈwə-rē-
Synonyms of worryingnext
: causing worry : creating reason for worry : troubling
a worrying trend/development
a worrying question
The presence of the knife on the stage of the murder was a worrying circumstance for Wilson.Mark Twain
worryingly adverb
When the secretary returned, she handed us an envelope that looked worryingly official … Caroline Alexander
… money held by households has risen at a worryingly slow rate over the past year … The Economist

Examples of worrying in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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.
But Tuesday’s ugly consumer inflation report, Wednesday’s uglier wholesale inflation report and some worrying bond market signals all point to one thing. Elisabeth Buchwald, CNN Money, 13 May 2026 More lows than highs Even more worrying, Friday was only the third time since 1990 that the S & P 500 made a new high when there were more new lows than highs, BTIG found. Sarah Min, CNBC, 11 May 2026 The deadly outbreak of hantavirus on a small cruise ship has reverberated across the world, resulting in a global effort to contain the outbreak and worrying travelers. Michael Cappetta, Travel + Leisure, 8 May 2026 This feeling of stasis is made all the more worrying by Ukraine’s increasing ability to strike inside Russia itself. Joshua Yaffa, New Yorker, 8 May 2026 See All Example Sentences for worrying

Word History

First Known Use

1817, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of worrying was in 1817

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Worrying.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/worrying. Accessed 21 May. 2026.

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