concern
[noun]
Synonyms:
- worry, anxiety, apprehension, burden, care, disquiet, distress
- importance, bearing, interest, relevance
- business, affair, interest, job, responsibility, task
- business, company, corporation, enterprise, establishment, firm, organization
[verb]
Synonyms:
- worry, bother, disquiet, distress, disturb, make anxious, perturb, trouble
- be relevant to, affect, apply to, bear on, interest, involve, pertain to, regard, touch

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Antonyms: unconcern
Contrasted words: aloofness, incuriousness, indifference
Related Words: faltering, irresolution, apprehension, misgiving, inquietude, suspense, attention, consideration, thoughtfulness

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English Thesaurus: worry, concern, troubles, cares, hang-up, ...

[TahlilGaran] English Synonym Dictionary ▲

I. con‧cern¹ S1 W1 /kənˈsɜːn $ -ɜːrn/ noun
[Word Family: verb: concern; noun: concern; adjective: concerned ≠ unconcerned]

1. WORRY
a) [uncountable] a feeling of worry about something important:
The recent rise in crime is a matter of considerable public concern.
concern for
our concern for human rights
concern about/over/with
the rise of concern about the environment
the growing concern over inflation
concern with worsening law and order
concern that
increased concern that the war could continue for a long time
be a cause for concern/cause concern
The activities of the far right have been a cause for concern for a while now.
In her last days the poet expressed concern for her father.
b) [countable] something that worries you:
One of the concerns that people have is the side effects of treatment.
Education remains the electorate’s main concern.
the concerns expressed by parents

2. SOMETHING IMPORTANT [uncountable and countable] something that is important to you or that involves you:
His main concern is to be able to provide for his family.
concern for
The consumer has become a major concern for this government.
of concern to somebody
topics of concern to television viewers

3. FEELING FOR SOMEBODY [singular, uncountable] a feeling of wanting someone to be happy and healthy:
He was moved by her obvious concern.
concern for
parents’ loving concern for their children

4. sb’s concern if something is your concern, you are responsible for it:
The money side of the business is your concern.

5. not sb’s concern/none of sb’s concern if something is not your concern, you are not interested in it and you do not need to worry about it or become involved in it:
His affairs were none of her concern.

6. BUSINESS [countable] a business or company:
The restaurant is a family concern.
We will continue to run the company as a going concern (=a business that is financially successful).

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

II. concern² W3 verb [transitive]
[Word Family: verb: concern; noun: concern; adjective: concerned ≠ unconcerned]
[Date: 1300-1400; Language: French; Origin: concerner, from Late Latin concernere 'to mix together', from Latin com- ( ⇒ COM-) + cernere 'to sift']

1. [not in passive] if a story, book, report etc concerns someone or something, it is about them:
This study concerns couples’ expectations of marriage.
The report concerns the drug traffic on the Mexican–US border.

REGISTER
In everyday English, people usually say something is about something or, in British English, is/has to do with something, rather than say it concerns something:
The book is about women’s experiences of war.

2. to make someone feel worried or upset:
Issues like food additives do concern me.

3. [not in passive] if an activity, situation, rule etc concerns you, it affects you or involves you:
The tax changes will concern large corporations rather than small businesses.

4. concern yourself with/about something formal to become involved in something because you are interested in it or because it worries you:
He told them not to concern themselves about him.
He loved his wife, and concerned himself with her needs and desires.

5. to whom it may concern an expression written at the beginning of a formal letter when you do not know the name of the person you want to communicate with

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

concern
noun
I. feeling of worry
ADJ. considerable, deep, grave, great, major, serious | growing, mounting | common, widespread | national, public public concern about increased taxes
VERB + CONCERN feel He felt some concern for her safety.
express, show, voice | cause The lack of firefighting equipment has caused concern.
PREP. in sb's ~ She forgot her own worries in her concern for him.
out of ~ | ~ about/over She expressed her deep concern about conditions at the factory.
~ for Out of concern for her health, we suggested she take a week off work.
PHRASES be of (no) concern to sb Increased use of drugs is of great concern to parents.
(a) cause for concern The president's health is giving serious cause for concern.
a lack of concern I was surprised by her lack of concern.
a matter of concern Stress at work is a matter of concern to staff and management.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

concern
II. sth that worries/affects you
ADJ. chief, main, major, overriding, paramount, primary What are your main concerns as a writer?
common a common concern for new parents
PHRASES be none of sb's concern How much we paid is none of your concern.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

concern
verb
I. affect/involve
ADV. directly
PREP. in Everyone who was directly concerned in (= had some responsibility for) the incident has now resigned.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

concern
II. worry sb
ADV. a lot, really It really concerns me that he doesn't eat properly.
slightly

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

concern

cause concern
The announcement will cause concern in the Middle East.
feel concern
A lot of people felt some concern about the proposal.
express concern
Police officials expressed concern about robberies, which have increased by 23%.
voice concern formal (=express concern)
Some people have voiced concern about the state of the president's health.
raise concerns formal
The incident has raised concerns over safety at the power station.
be of concern
Of course, this is of great concern to parents.
be a cause for concern
Rising global temperatures are a cause for serious concern.
be a matter of concern
Elderly people in particular feel that crime is a matter of concern for them.
amid concern that/over something (=because there is concern about something)
Shares fell slightly amid concern that the economy is slowing.
great/serious/considerable concern
The spread of the disease is an issue of considerable concern.
grave concern (=very great concern)
This disagreement was a matter of grave concern to the US.
a real/genuine concern
Pensions are a genuine concern to many people.
a particular concern
Noise is a particular concern of those living near the airport.
growing/mounting concern
Growing concern has been expressed over the pollution of the North Sea.
a common concern (=one that many people share)
Rising food prices are a common concern.
public concern (=felt by the public)
Public concern about the destruction of the rain forests could harm the timber business.
national concern
The lack of good cheap public transport is a matter of national concern.
widespread concern
There seems to be widespread concern about the state of our hospitals.
somebody's main/biggest concern
My main concern is my children.
somebody's primary/chief/principal concern
The president said his primary concern was the welfare of the American people.
somebody's central concern
Our organization's central concern is to help people at all levels of society.
somebody's overriding concern (=much more important than anything else)
An artist's overriding concern is to achieve the highest standard possible.
somebody's only/sole concern
Rick's only concern was having a good time at the weekend.
somebody's present/immediate concern
Her two immediate concerns were to find a home and a job.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

concern
verb
1.
BAD: As far as I concern, the cost of the repair is not my responsibility.
GOOD: As far as I'm concerned, the cost of the repair is not my responsibility.

Usage Note:
as far as sb/sth is concerned : 'As far as my parents are concerned, I'm free to come whenever I like.' 'As far as the law is concerned, you are innocent until proven guilty.' 'As far as your grammar is concerned, you seem to be having a problem with tenses.'

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2.
BAD: You should concern more about your health.
GOOD: You should be more concerned about your health.
BAD: There are far more serious things to concern about.
GOOD: There are far more serious things to be concerned about.

Usage Note:
be concerned about sth (= be worried or anxious): 'The government is becoming increasingly concerned about the rising level of unemployment.' 'The manager is naturally very concerned about the recent spate of injuries.'

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3.
BAD: The first chapter is concerned about the disposal of nuclear waste.
GOOD: The first chapter is concerned with the disposal of nuclear waste.
GOOD: The first chapter concerns the disposal of nuclear waste.

Usage Note:
be concerned with sth OR concern sth = (of a book, film, essay etc) be about a particular subject: 'The article is concerned with recent developments in primary education.'

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4.
BAD: Some dentists are more concerned in earning money than doing a good job.
GOOD: Some dentists are more concerned with earning money than doing a good job.

Usage Note:
be concerned with (doing ) sth = be interested in: 'We should be more concerned with re-educating criminals than punishing them.'

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Common Errors ▲

worry a problem that you are anxious about or are not sure how to deal with:
You should discuss your worries with your parents.
Worries about the company’s performance sent its share prices falling.
concern a situation that makes you feel worried, especially a problem that affects a lot of people, but that may not affect you personally:
One concern is the effects of these chemicals on the environment.
Our main concern is that the boys are well looked after while their parents are away.
troubles problems in your life that you are worried about:
I don't want to bore you with my troubles.
She has enough troubles of her own at the moment.
I hope all our troubles will be over soon.
cares written problems or responsibilities in your life that make you worry:
She was not ready for the cares and responsibilities of running a family.
A holiday would give them chance to forget about all their cares.
hang-up informal a feeling of worry or embarrassment about something personal, such as your appearance or relationships with other people:
She has a hang-up about her nose.
We all have our hang-ups.
anxiety the feeling of being worried because you think that something bad has happened or will happen, and you feel that you have no control over the situation:
The thought of having to give a speech filled me with anxiety.
The increase in heating costs is causing a lot of anxiety among elderly people.
stress the feeling of being worried all the time, for example about work or personal problems, which can make you ill or very tired:
Her financial problems were causing her a lot of stress.
anguish a feeling of extreme mental suffering caused by worry:
How could her parents survive the anguish of not knowing what had happened to her?
When she spoke, her voice was full of anguish.
angst a strong feeling of worry and anxiety because you are worried about your life, your future, or what you should do in a particular situation:
The letter was full of teenage angst - would she ever be able to find another boyfriend?
There was much angst about the decision.

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲

worry the feeling of not being happy or relaxed and thinking a lot about a problem or something that is wrong:
She was sick with worry over her daughter.
the look of worry on his face
anxiety the feeling of being worried because you think that something bad has happened or will happen, and you feel that you have no control over the situation:
The thought of having to give a speech filled me with anxiety.
The increase in heating costs is causing a lot of anxiety among elderly people.
concern a worried feeling – use this especially when many people are worried about a problem that affects everyone:
The shortage of water is beginning to cause widespread concern.
stress the feeling of being worried all the time, for example about work or personal problems, which can make you ill or very tired:
Her financial problems were causing her a lot of stress.
anguish a feeling of extreme mental suffering caused by worry:
How could her parents survive the anguish of not knowing what had happened to her?
When she spoke, her voice was full of anguish.
angst a strong feeling of worry and anxiety because you are worried about your life, your future, or what you should do in a particular situation:
The letter was full of teenage angst - would she ever be able to find another boyfriend?
There was much angst about the decision.
stress the importance of something
He has always stressed the importance of a stable family.
stress the need for something
She stressed the need for more effective policing.
stress a point
This point needs to be stressed.
stress a fact
Medicines usually stress the fact that you must not exceed the stated dose.
stress the role of somebody/something
In her speech, she stressed the role of parents in preventing youth crime.
stress your commitment to (doing) something
The President stressed his commitment to tackling world poverty.
emphasize to say strongly or show clearly that a fact, idea etc is especially important:
Our company emphasizes the need for good communication between staff.
highlight to show that something is important, so that people will pay special attention to it:
This case highlights the need for tougher laws on gun ownership.
The report highlights the decline in the numbers of native plants and insects.
underline/underscore to help to show clearly that a fact is true, especially a fact that is already known:
These attacks underline the fact that the security situation here remains fragile.
The president’s speech repeatedly underscored the progress that has been made.
accentuate to show something clearly and make it easier to notice:
The recent economic crisis has accentuated the gap between the rich and the poor.
overemphasize to emphasize something too much:
The relation between food and health is often overemphasized in my view.
play up to emphasize something and make it seem more important than it really is, especially to get advantages for yourself:
The story has been played up by the media.
The Labour party had a great time playing up the Conservatives’ problems.

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲