worrisome

comparative more worrisome · comparative nonstandard rare worrisomer · superlative most worrisome · nonstandard rare superlative worrisomest

1. Causing worry; perturbing or vexing.

   OUR “WORRISOMEST” WEEDS / Johnson grass and Bermuda grass will be growing fast by late May.

   1960 May, Glenn C. Klingman, R. P. Upchurch, “Our ‘worrisomest’ weeds”, in Joe Elliott, editor, The Progressive Farmer, Carolinas-Virginia edition, volume 75, number 5, Birminham, Ala.: The Progressive Farmer Company, page 24, column 3

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   He ’s got a cow, too; she ’s got the worrisomest horns ever was. I believe she ’s a steer anyway.

   1909 February 6, Frances Boyd Calhoun, “Sweetheart and Partner”, in Miss Minerva and William Green Hill, Chicago, Ill.: The Reilly & Britton Co., published 16 February 1909, page 35

   “[…] Just supposing Emily poisoned him, why would she have done it? What could she have against a four-year-old?” / Star sighed. “Mr. Hacey, you do ask me the worrisomest questions. How I know why somebody who maybe didn’t even poison somebody come to poison that somebody?”

   1971, James Sherburne, “Spring in the Bluegrass”, in Hacey Miller: A Novel, Boston, Mass.: Houghton Mifflin Company, →ISBN, pages 4–5

   “Doesn't everyone call his doctor every week or two for reassurance about some worrisome symptom?”

   2000, Lee Baer, Getting Control (Revised Edition), →ISBN

   “How can you be sure you won’t change your mind?” / For god’s sake, can’t he take a hint? / Maybe you’re not convincing enough? Because … you don’t want to be? / “Because I’m actively working on not changing my mind,” I say in order to drown out my evil inner voices. / “What if I’m actively working on swaying it?” / “Ugh! Stop it,” I say, but I can’t help but laugh. God, I think I like arguing with him. That’s very worrisome. Very, very worrisome. / It gets worrisomer when he leans towards me and asks very quietly and calmly, “Why?”

   2014, Bridie Hall, “Chloe” (chapter 7), in My Summer Roommate, Evernight Teen, →ISBN

   There's more to The Morning Joe/Donald Trump spat than was apparent when the U.S. president launched his Twitter attack at the show's hosts on Thursday. New details add context to the story that make it both curiouser and curiouser and muckier and muckier — not to mention worrisomer.

   2017 June 30, Keith Boag, “Could Trump spike a story in the Enquirer? Almost certainly: Keith Boag”, in CBC.ca, Ottawa, Ont.: CBC/Radio-Canada, →OCLC, archived from the original on 01 Jul 2017

   Synonyms: worryful

2. Inclined to worry.

   I use to would perform that song when I was singin in Chance’s band. We had a real sweet, dreamy, Dinah Washington-kinda arrangement of it that’d make even the worrisomest drunk pipe down and listen.

   1988, Al Young, chapter 14, in Seduction by Light, New York, N.Y.: Delta Fiction, →ISBN, page 128