If you are worried, you feel nervous or upset because you think that something bad might happen. It is a feeling of stress about possible problems.
“Worried” comes from the verb “worry,” which originally meant “to strangle” or “to grasp by the throat” in Old English. The meaning slowly shifted from a physical choking to the feeling of being mentally ‘choked’ by anxiety.
The history of “worried” suggests your thoughts are grabbing you by the throat and not letting go. That’s why worry feels so tight and heavy—your language has pictured it that way for centuries.
Emotional states like being “worried” have often been stereotypically coded as feminine or associated with women as over‑emotional or anxious, especially in domestic and caregiving contexts. This framing has been used to delegitimize women’s rational concerns.
Use “worried” neutrally for all genders and avoid suggesting that worry or anxiety is more natural or appropriate for one gender than another.
When discussing worry in historical or social contexts, recognize that women’s expressed worries have often been rational responses to real constraints and dangers, not mere emotional weakness.
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