worrying

adjective

wor·​ry·​ing ˈwər-ē-iŋ How to pronounce worrying (audio)
ˈwə-rē-
: 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.
Although this is a worrying trend, growing Taiwanese skepticism of the United States has not translated into a greater desire to unify with Beijing. HARDENED STEEL China’s gray-zone campaign, intended to help achieve unification, is instead pushing Taiwan further away. David Sacks, Foreign Affairs, 8 Nov. 2024 Even as Georgia recovered to down Florida, Beck’s three interceptions continued a worrying trend for the star quarterback who now has 11 interceptions in the last five games. Issy Ronald, CNN, 3 Nov. 2024 Early Pennsylvania voting data has highlighted two potentially worrying trends for Donald Trump's hopes of beating Vice President Kamala Harris in the crucial battleground state, according to analysis. Marco Rubio, Newsweek, 1 Nov. 2024 Even more troubling, this failure rate marks a one-percentage-point drop in proficiency from the previous year, underscoring a worrying trend in student achievement that is raising alarms ... Stephen Moore, National Review, 15 Oct. 2024 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

Dictionary Entries Near worrying

Cite this Entry

“Worrying.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/worrying. Accessed 25 Nov. 2024.

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