worry
n. C / Un. a feeling of being unhappy or nervous because you are thinking about problems or unpleasant things that might happen. It is the state of having a troubled mind.
n. a state of mental distress or anxiety caused by concern over actual or potential problems. Often used to describe the specific subject or cause of such anxiety.
Financial worry keeps him awake at night.
The main worry for the local community is the potential closure of the only grocery store in town.
While some degree of worry can motivate proactive planning, chronic anxiety often leads to a paralysis of decision-making that exacerbates the very problems one fears.
From Middle English worien, werien, wirien, wirwen, wyryȝen (“to choke, strangle”), from Old English wyrġan, from Proto-Germanic wurgijaną, from Proto-Indo-European werǵʰ- (“bind, squeeze”). Cognate with Dutch worgen, wurgen, German würgen. Compare Latin urgere (“to press, push”), Sanskrit वृहति (vṛhati, “to tear out, pluck”), Lithuanian ver̃žti (“to string; squeeze”), Russian (poetic) отверза́ть (otverzátʹ, “to open”, literally “to untie”). Related to wring.
Uncountable when referring to the general state of anxiety; countable when referring to a specific problem or cause of concern.
I have many worries about my healthI have a lot of worry about my healthWhile 'worries' is correct for specific problems, learners often use the plural form when they actually mean the general, uncountable state of anxiety.