worrisome

/ˌwʌriˈsʌm/

/ˈwʌrisəm/

Other forms: worrisomely

If something is worrisome, it bothers or upsets you. Your nervous dog may find the sound of thunder extremely worrisome.

When the news reports are full of worrisome developments — crime, climate change, local budget cuts — it can be reassuring to hear some good news, which is why many news broadcasts also include feel-good stories about lost pets reunited with their owners and kids raising money for the local library. Worrisome things do just what you'd think: they make you worry. This word first appeared around 1820 in North America, and it's been used ever since for things that cause distress.

Definitions of worrisome

1. adjective

   causing distress or worry or anxiety
   “in a particularly worrisome predicament”

   synonyms: distressful, distressing, disturbing, perturbing, troubling, worrying

   heavy

   marked by great psychological weight; weighted down especially with sadness or troubles or weariness
2. adjective

   not reassuring; tending to cause anxiety
   synonyms: unreassuring