Meaning & use
worry warts
Last updated
“worry warts” is a form of “worry wart”.
Meanings
nounpluralinformaldisapproving
People who worry often and excessively about small or unlikely problems.
Grammar: Plural noun; the singular form is 'worry wart', used for one such person.
Patterns
- a pair of worry warts
- call someone a worry wart
My aunts are total worry warts — they call me if I'm ten minutes late.
Don't be such a worry wart; the exam will be fine.
The team's worry warts kept checking the weather forecast all week.
nouncountableinformaldisapproving
A person who worries constantly, especially about unimportant things.
Grammar: Singular countable noun, often used with 'such a' or 'a real'.
Patterns
- a real worry wart
- such a worry wart
He's a real worry wart about money, even though he earns plenty.
She's such a worry wart that she checks the door lock three times.
Word forms
| singular | worry wart |
|---|
Common combinations
- a total worry wart
- My brother is a total worry wart before every flight.
- such a worry wart
- Stop being such a worry wart about the test.
- a pair of worry warts
- Those two are a pair of worry warts who panic over everything.
- call someone a worry wart
- She laughed when her friend called her a worry wart.
Synonyms and how they differ
- worrier
- Neutral and more formal; 'worry wart' sounds teasing and slightly critical.
- fussbudget
- Focuses on fussing over details rather than general anxiety; chiefly American and informal.
- nervous Nellie
- An informal American term for someone easily frightened or anxious, often used about a specific situation.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: worry warts or worrywart?
worry warts vs worrywart
This one-word spelling is also common in American English; the two-word form 'worry wart' is equally accepted.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'worry warts' correctly?
Choose one answer.
'Worry warts' is a plural noun, so it follows a plural subject like 'My parents are'. In B and D it is wrongly used as a verb, and in C the singular article 'a' clashes with the plural form.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “worry warts”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.