See also: worry-wart and worry wart

English

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Alternative forms

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Etymology

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From worry +‎ wart, apparently chosen for alliteration. Presumably related to earlier worryguts. Attested 1956,[1] but earlier examples are found in newspapers of the 1930s and 1940s.[2]

Pronunciation

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Noun

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worrywart (plural worrywarts)

  1. (originally US) A person who worries excessively, especially about unimportant matters.
    Synonyms: bundle of nerves, worrier; see also Thesaurus:worrier
    • 2005, Hal Edward Runkel, Screamfree Parenting: Raising Your Kids by Keeping Your Cool, →ISBN, page 31:
      It doesn't mean you're a worrywart, a nervous wreck or in need of heavy medication.
    • 2008 August 17, Nicole L.V. Mullis, “Vacation renders kids, adult males impervious to danger”, in Battle Creek Enquirer[1]:
      On vacation, I'm a worrywart for fretting about third-degree burns and puncture wounds.
    • 2020 December 7, Zeynep Tufekci, “‘This Must Be Your First’”, in The Atlantic[2]:
      When Biden takes the presidential oath in January, many will write articles scolding those who expressed concern about a coup as worrywarts, or as people misusing terminology.

Translations

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See also

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References

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  1. ^ Oxford English Dictionary, 1884–1928, and First Supplement, 1933.
  2. ^ Word Craft Forum: Worry Wort