worrywart
nounUK /ˈwʌɹ.ɪˌwɔːt/ · US /ˈwʌɹ.iˌwoɹt/
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
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.2005, Hal Edward Runkel, Screamfree Parenting: Raising Your Kids by Keeping Your Cool, →ISBN, page 31:
- On vacation, I'm a worrywart for fretting about third-degree burns and puncture wounds.2008 August 17, Nicole L.V. Mullis, “Vacation renders kids, adult males impervious to danger”, in Battle Creek Enquirer:
1 more example
- 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.2020 December 7, Zeynep Tufekci, “‘This Must Be Your First’”, in The Atlantic:
- Related terms
- pessimist, OCD, hypochondriac