Meaning & use
concerned about
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Meanings
phraseafter a verb
Feeling worried about something that may be wrong or might go badly.
Grammar: Follows be or become and takes a noun or -ing form: she is concerned about the noise.
Patterns
- be concerned about something
- be concerned about doing something
Doctors are concerned about the number of children who skip breakfast.
I am concerned about the leak in the roof, because it is getting worse.
She was concerned about being late for the interview.
phraseafter a verb
Caring about something and treating it as important, even when it is not a worry.
Grammar: Often appears in questions or negatives: he is not concerned about money.
Patterns
- be concerned about something
- not be concerned about something
Many shoppers are concerned about where their clothes are made.
He was never concerned about what other people thought of him.
The committee is concerned about fairness in the hiring process.
Common combinations
- deeply concerned about
- Parents were deeply concerned about the new traffic plan.
- seriously concerned about
- The coach is seriously concerned about the team's injuries.
- not particularly concerned about
- I am not particularly concerned about the price.
- increasingly concerned about
- Residents grew increasingly concerned about the smell near the river.
- concerned about safety
- Airlines are always concerned about safety.
Synonyms and how they differ
- worried about
- It is more everyday and more emotional, while concerned about sounds calmer and can suit official statements.
- anxious about
- It suggests stronger, more nervous unease and can even be a long-term state.
- troubled by
- It implies that the problem weighs on your mind and takes by rather than about.
- bothered about
- It is informal and usually means mildly annoyed or minding, not really afraid.
Opposites
Word family
- concern noun
- a worry or a matter of importance
- concern verb
- to worry someone or to relate to something
- concerned adjective
- worried or affected
- concerning preposition
- about or regarding
- unconcerned adjective
- not worried
Commonly confused: concerned about or concerned with?
concerned about vs concerned with
Concerned with means involved in or dealing with a subject. Concerned about means worried about it.
Practice
The teachers are concerned ____ the lack of safe bike storage at the school.
Choose one answer.
Concerned about expresses worry about a problem. Concerned with would mean they are busy dealing with bike storage, which is a different meaning.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “concerned about”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.