worrying

verb

Definition of worryingnext
present participle of worry
1
as in fretting
to experience concern or anxiety they worried for days about whether the loan would be approved

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in bothering
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 worrying With early voting already underway, a question worrying some voters is what role — if any — immigration enforcement officers might have at polling places through Election Day. — ABC News, 2 Oct. 2026 Cloud computing let businesses add capacity without worrying much about what sat behind it. — Anthony Milewski, Forbes.com, 2 Oct. 2026 Earlier in Stearns’ tenure, a source familiar with the Mets’ front office said the team factored in the adjustment to New York for major additions without worrying too much about it on smaller ones. — Tim Britton, New York Times, 30 Sep. 2026 The director likens his own role on the trip to that of Bill, who is slowly driven to madness by worrying about a particular child, the class punching bag Kenneth (Olof Olingdahl). — Lily Ford, HollywoodReporter, 29 Sep. 2026 Horse racing makes Heidi Sheridan nervous, worrying whether the animals will get hurt. — Robert McCoppin, Chicago Tribune, 28 Sep. 2026 Try the version that interests you before worrying about whether everyone understands it. — Tarot.com, Hartford Courant, 28 Sep. 2026 No wonder most Americans favored dealing with things at home rather than worrying about Europe. — Beverly Gage, New Yorker, 28 Sep. 2026 Netanyahu has enough problems in his own country without worrying about New York City. — Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 25 Sep. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for worrying
  1. fretting
  2. bothering
  3. stressing
  4. alarming
  5. fearing
  6. disturbing
  7. sweating
  8. distracting
Verb
  • Ratings agencies and investors are fretting about leverage as the combined company enters a shifting media landscape with $80 billion in debt after one of the biggest leveraged buyouts in corporate history.
    — Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 6 Oct. 2026
  • Billy Joel doesn’t want anyone fretting too much over his health.
    — Larisha Paul, Rolling Stone, 30 Sep. 2026
Definition of fretting
Verb
  • The goal is not to solve what’s bothering you but to let the thoughts move through.
    — Hanna Wickes, Miami Herald, 22 Sep. 2026
  • Lane Kiffin will stroll off the LSU bus later this afternoon, acting as if none of the noise is bothering him.
    — Trey Wallace OutKick, FOXNews.com, 19 Sep. 2026
Definition of bothering
Verb
  • The dynamic is stressing household budgets at a time when they’re already strained by broader affordability issues, a key issue in the upcoming midterm elections.
    — Greg Iacurci, CNBC, 2 Oct. 2026
  • At China’s signature AI conference in July, Xi called for greater openness and collaboration in AI, while stressing the need for regulation to keep it under human control.
    — John Liu, CNN Money, 26 Sep. 2026
Definition of stressing
Verb
  • But the Treasury market’s rapid deterioration is now alarming those who previously downplayed the risks.
    — Jason Ma, Fortune, 19 Sep. 2026
  • The constant delay-of-game calls, false starts and inability to get lined up are a special level of alarming for a quarterback who entered the NFL 10 years ago.
    — Jason Lloyd, New York Times, 14 Sep. 2026
Definition of alarming
Verb
  • The family member spoke to The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity, fearing persecution by the government.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 5 Oct. 2026
  • In the 21st century, presidents and lawmakers would be wise to adopt the same strategy—not fearing AI, but creating a governance system that allows this technology to realize its potential as a source of hope and shared progress.
    — William R. Gruver, Fortune, 4 Oct. 2026
Definition of fearing
Verb
  • If anything, the University of Toronto researchers discovered, we humans are the ones disturbing our dogs’ sleep.
    — Gina Vivinetto, NBC news, 7 Oct. 2026
  • By mimicking the oarfish’s fluid control, Shepherd’s team aims to construct large, silent robotic monitors capable of observing fragile ocean ecosystems without ever disturbing the wildlife inside them.
    — Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 1 Oct. 2026
Definition of disturbing
Verb
  • Rosenblatt said stop sweating the impact that Meta’s Muse and other AI agents shopping on behalf of people will have on Amazon.
    — Jim Cramer, CNBC, 30 Sep. 2026
  • Historically, the industry relied on evaporative cooling, essentially sweating away millions of gallons of water to reject heat into the atmosphere.
    — Kevin Brown, Forbes.com, 24 Sep. 2026
Definition of sweating
Verb
  • The sets have too many doors, the scenes have a delirious number of extras and the actors yell their lines over the distracting clatter of crackling fireplaces, beeping machines and ticking clocks.
    — Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 29 Sep. 2026
  • The text was crisp and easy to read, the matte display minimized distracting reflections, and the ink paper mode made reading comfortable.
    — Kimberly Gedeon, PC Magazine, 27 Sep. 2026
Definition of distracting

Browse Nearby Words

worry
worrying
worrywart
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Cite this Entry

“Worrying.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/worrying. Accessed 9 Oct. 2026.

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