What does worrisome mean?
Worrisome is an adjective meaning that something is likely to cause worry, anxiety, or concern. It is stronger and more formal than simply troubling: a report may be called worrisome not merely because it contains bad news, but because it indicates danger, difficulty, or consequences that require attention. The word can characterize developments, prospects, symptoms, and other signs, with an implication that the situation deserves scrutiny rather than merely momentary unease. In everyday use, worrisome often suggests that the speaker sees cause for apprehension while presenting an otherwise factual observation. Its serious, cautionary tone makes it better suited to significant concerns than to minor everyday inconveniences. Although it is close to worrying in meaning, worrisome points more characteristically to the troubling quality of a situation, while worrying more often describes an act or an anxious person. The word is useful when a matter is significant enough to warrant concern but has not yet become a confirmed crisis.
adjectiveCausing anxiety or concern; troubling or alarming.
- Causing anxiety, alarm, or serious concern.
"The sudden increase in reported infections has raised worrisome questions about the virus's spread."
"Persistent coughing is a worrisome sign, especially when accompanied by difficulty breathing."
"The committee described the growing budget deficit as a worrisome prospect for the coming year."
Worrisome began by describing a person as full of anxiety, but it eventually came to describe the thing that made people anxious.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does worrisome come from?
Worrisome was formed in English from worry plus the suffix -some, which can indicate that something is full of or characterized by a quality. In early modern English, it described a person as anxious or full of care; it later developed the dominant modern meaning of causing anxiety or alarm. Its history therefore reflects a semantic shift from describing the worried state to describing what gives rise to worry.
Related word forms
How worrisome is actually used
Relatively formal in tone, this word is often used for facts, conditions, or situations that warrant attention and may indicate danger or difficulty. It denotes something that gives cause for concern rather than the emotional state of feeling worried.
Easily confused with worrisome
Worrying often describes a person or act, whereas worrisome characteristically describes something that gives cause for concern.
Worrisome means causing anxiety or alarm, while wearisome means tiresomely dull.