Library / English Dictionary

WORRY

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

Irregular inflected form: worried   

 I. (noun) 

Sense 1

Meaning:

Something or someone that causes anxiety; a source of unhappiness

Example:

it's a major worry

Synonyms:

concern; headache; vexation; worry

Classified under:

Nouns denoting cognitive processes and contents

Hypernyms ("worry" is a kind of...):

negative stimulus (a stimulus with undesirable consequences)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "worry"):

bugaboo (a source of concern)

burden; encumbrance; incumbrance; load; onus (an onerous or difficult concern)

business (a rightful concern or responsibility)

Derivation:

worry (disturb the peace of mind of; afflict with mental agitation or distress)

worry (be concerned with)

worry (be worried, concerned, anxious, troubled, or uneasy)

Sense 2

Meaning:

A strong feeling of anxiety

Example:

he wanted to die and end his troubles

Synonyms:

trouble; worry

Classified under:

Nouns denoting feelings and emotions

Hypernyms ("worry" is a kind of...):

anxiety (a vague unpleasant emotion that is experienced in anticipation of some (usually ill-defined) misfortune)

Derivation:

worry (be concerned with)

worry (be worried, concerned, anxious, troubled, or uneasy)

 II. (verb) 

Sense 1

Meaning:

Touch or rub constantly

Example:

The old man worried his beads

Classified under:

Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging

Hypernyms (to "worry" is one way to...):

rub (move over something with pressure)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something

Sense 2

Meaning:

Lacerate by biting

Example:

the dog worried his bone

Classified under:

Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging

Hypernyms (to "worry" is one way to...):

incise (make an incision into by carving or cutting)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Somebody ----s somebody

Sense 3

Meaning:

Disturb the peace of mind of; afflict with mental agitation or distress

Example:

I cannot sleep--my daughter's health is worrying me

Synonyms:

vex; worry

Classified under:

Verbs of feeling

Hypernyms (to "worry" is one way to...):

cark; disorder; disquiet; distract; perturb; trouble; unhinge (disturb in mind or make uneasy or cause to be worried or alarmed)

Cause:

worry (be worried, concerned, anxious, troubled, or uneasy)

Verb group:

worry (be worried, concerned, anxious, troubled, or uneasy)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "worry"):

misgive (suggest fear or doubt)

eat; eat on (worry or cause anxiety in a persistent way)

nag (worry persistently)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s somebody
Something ----s somebody

Sentence example:

The bad news will worry him

Antonym:

reassure (cause to feel sure; give reassurance to)

Derivation:

worry (something or someone that causes anxiety; a source of unhappiness)

worrying (the act of harassing someone)

Sense 4

Meaning:

Be concerned with

Example:

I worry about my grades

Synonyms:

care; worry

Classified under:

Verbs of feeling

Hypernyms (to "worry" is one way to...):

mind (be concerned with or about something or somebody)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "worry"):

brood; dwell (think moodily or anxiously about something)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s PP

Derivation:

worry (something or someone that causes anxiety; a source of unhappiness)

worry (a strong feeling of anxiety)

Sense 5

Meaning:

Be worried, concerned, anxious, troubled, or uneasy

Example:

I worry about my job

Classified under:

Verbs of feeling

Verb group:

vex; worry (disturb the peace of mind of; afflict with mental agitation or distress)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "worry"):

fret (be agitated or irritated)

fear (be afraid or feel anxious or apprehensive about a possible or probable situation or event)

fret; fuss; niggle (worry unnecessarily or excessively)

obsess (be preoccupied with something)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s
Somebody ----s PP
Somebody ----s that CLAUSE

Sentence example:

They worry that there was a traffic accident

Derivation:

worrier (thinks about unfortunate things that might happen)

worriment (a difficulty that causes anxiety)

worry (something or someone that causes anxiety; a source of unhappiness)

worry (a strong feeling of anxiety)

Sense 6

Meaning:

Be on the mind of

Example:

I worry about the second Germanic consonant shift

Synonyms:

concern; interest; occupy; worry

Classified under:

Verbs of being, having, spatial relations

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s somebody
Something ----s somebody

Sentence example:

The bad news will worry him

Credits

 Context examples: 

When she wouldn’t do it, he kept on worrying her until she got brain-fever, and for six weeks was at death’s door.

(The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

The Overactive Bladder Questionnaire (OAB-q) Caused you anxiety or worry?

(OAB-q - Caused You Anxiety or Worry, NCI Thesaurus)

Some people worry about EMF exposure and cancer.

(Electromagnetic Fields, NIH: National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences)

They shall no longer worry others, nor torture myself.

(Sense and Sensibility, by Jane Austen)

Before you begin to worry, I need to say that this is only one of several possibilities.

(AstrologyZone.com, by Susan Miller)

Campbell has been here, quite in a worry about you; and now what shall we do?

(Mansfield Park, by Jane Austen)

Neuropsychiatric Inventory (NPI) Is the patient very nervous, worried, or frightened for no apparent reason?

(NPI - Very Nervous, Worried, or Frightened for No Apparent Reason, NCI Thesaurus)

Then my own thoughts worried me.

(Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Brontë)

A response indicating that an individual is or has experienced something but that it was not enough to cause them concern or worry.

(Not Enough to Be Concerned or Worried, NCI Thesaurus)

Oh yes! but that is all right; you needn't worry about that!

(Dracula, by Bram Stoker)