Meaning & use
worrier
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Meaning
nouncountable
Someone with a habit of fretting about things that might go wrong, often more than the situation deserves.
Grammar: Describes a lasting trait; usually preceded by an or an adjective such as chronic: he is a born worrier.
Patterns
- a worrier about something
- a born worrier
My mother is a terrible worrier and calls whenever it rains.
As a lifelong worrier, he packed three umbrellas for a sunny weekend.
Don't be such a worrier; the train will wait.
Word forms
| plural | worriers |
|---|
Common combinations
- born worrier
- She is a born worrier and checks the locks twice.
- chronic worrier
- A chronic worrier may struggle to sleep before exams.
- terrible worrier
- He is a terrible worrier about his children's health.
- inveterate worrier
- An inveterate worrier, she made lists of everything that could fail.
- worrier by nature
- I am a worrier by nature, so I arrive early everywhere.
Synonyms and how they differ
- fusspot
- Fusspot is informal and gentler, suggesting someone who frets over small details rather than deep fears.
- pessimist
- A pessimist expects bad outcomes, whereas a worrier feels anxious about the possibility without necessarily expecting it.
- alarmist
- An alarmist spreads fear to others, while a worrier mostly keeps the anxiety to themselves.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: worrier or warrior?
worrier vs warrior
A warrior is a fighter; a worrier is an anxious person. They are close in spelling and in some accents in sound.
Practice
Maya checks the stove five times before leaving home. Her friends call her a ___.
Choose one answer.
A worrier habitually frets. Warrior means a fighter, the tempting sound-alike.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “worrier”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.