worrywart

noun
/ˈwʌɹ.ɪˌwɔːt/UK/ˈwʌɹ.iˌwɔːt//ˈwʌɹ.iˌwoɹt/US

Etymology

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

  1. inherited from *wartǭ
  2. inherited from *wartā
  3. inherited from wearte
  4. inherited from warte
  5. compounded as worrywart — “worry + wart

Definitions

  1. A person who worries excessively, especially about unimportant matters.

    • It doesn't mean you're a worrywart, a nervous wreck or in need of heavy medication.
    • On vacation, I'm a worrywart for fretting about third-degree burns and puncture wounds.
    • 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.

The neighborhood

Vish — recursive loop

No curated loop yet for worrywart. Loops are being traced one word at a time while the ingestion pipeline matures.

sense glosses and etymology drawn from English Wiktionary · source · CC-BY-SA