# worrying

Pronunciation: say "WUR-ee-ing" /ˈwʌɹijˌɪŋ/

## Adjective

1. Causing worry or anxiety, and likely to make someone feel uneasy.
   - Simple: Making you feel worried or nervous about something.
   - _The sudden drop in sales was worrying for the small business._
   - _Doctors found a worrying pattern in the patient's test results._

## Verb

2. Present participle and gerund of worry. — present participle and gerund of worry
   - Simple: Present participle of worry. Use this form when the action is happening now, like after "is" or "was."
   - _The collie kept worrying the sheep until the farmer intervened._
   - _Worrying about the future kept her awake all night._

## Noun

3. The act of harassing or repeatedly attacking a person or animal.
   - Simple: The act of bothering or attacking a person or animal over and over.
   - _Repeated worrying of the flock forced the shepherd to keep the dogs penned._
   - _The new law imposes heavy penalties for the worrying of cattle._

## Origin

**Meanings 1–2** — Formed from "worry" combined with the suffix "-ing".
**Meaning 3** — From Middle English "werying", equivalent to "worry" plus the suffix "-ing".

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/worrying (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).