Concern Meaning
/kənˈsɝn/Definition, CEFR level B1, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
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Definition
nounThat which affects one’s welfare or happiness. A matter of interest to someone.
nounThe placement of interest or worry on a subject.
Sentence Examples
I appreciate your concern.
Excessive concern with safety can be dangerous.
Villagers expressed concern about the level of traffic.
CEFR Practice Quiz
The main ____ of the meeting is the declining water quality.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The ongoing lack of clean water is a major global ____.
Word Origin & History
Borrowed from Middle French concerner, from Medieval Latin concernō, concernere (“I distinguish, have respect to”), from Latin concernō (“to mix, sift, or mingle together, as in a sieve”), combined form of con- + cernō (“distinguish”).
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"We drove back to the office with some concern on my part at the prospect of so large a case. Sunning himself on the board steps, I saw for the first time Mr. Farquhar Fenelon Cooke. He was dressed out in broad gaiters and bright tweeds, like an English tourist, and his face might have belonged to Dagon, idol of the Philistines."
— 1897 December (indicated as 1898), Winston Churchill, chapter II, in The Celebrity: An Episode, New York, N.Y.: The Macmillan Company; London: Macmillan & Co., Ltd., →OCLC:
"Although the encounter was bathed in sunshine, the match failed to reach boiling point but that will be of little concern to Gerard Houllier’s team, who took a huge step forward before they face crucial matches against their relegation rivals."
— 2011 April 10, Alistair Magowan, “Aston Villa 1-0 Newcastle”, in BBC Sport:
"Appleby […] rose from his seat when Morales came in. He shook hands urbanely, unbuckled his sword, and laid his kepi on the table, and then sat down with an expression of concern in his olive face which Appleby fancied was assumed."
— 1907 January, Harold Bindloss, chapter 22, in The Dust of Conflict, 1st Canadian edition, Toronto, Ont.: McLeod & Allen, →OCLC:
"Then I remembered there was a big concern, a Company for trade on that river."
— 1899 February, Joseph Conrad, “The Heart of Darkness”, in Blackwood’s Edinburgh Magazine, volume CLXV, number M, New York, N.Y.: The Leonard Scott Publishing Company, […], →OCLC, part I, page 198:
"Soon after he ascended the throne, an Arabic television joint venture between the BBC and a Saudi concern, Orbit Communications, foundered over the BBC’s insistence on editorial independence."
— 2001 November 18, Fouad Ajami, “What the Muslim World Is Watching”, in The New York Times, retrieved 26 Jul 2014:
Explore More B1 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
The main ____ of the meeting is the declining water quality.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The ongoing lack of clean water is a major global ____.