Concern: Worry, Interest, and a Business
Concern means worry, but it also means having a legitimate interest in something. A third sense is a business, as in a going concern.
Concern carries worry and involvement at once. That double sense explains a great deal of official English: saying *this is a matter of concern* signals both that something is wrong and that the speaker has standing to say so.
- Worry. *There is growing concern about the delay.*
- A legitimate interest. *That is no concern of yours.*
- To affect or involve (verb). *The change concerns all staff.*
- A business. *The firm remains a going concern.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | concern | Serious concern. |
| Verb | concern | It concerns everyone. |
| Adjective | concerned | A concerned parent. |
| Preposition | concerning | Concerning your letter. |
| Phrase | as far as I am concerned | As far as I am concerned, it is settled. |
How it is used in a sentence
- To whom it may concern.The opening of a letter with no named recipient.
- The parents concerned were informed.After the noun, concerned means involved.
- A concerned neighbour called the police.Before the noun, concerned means worried.
Where concerned sits changes what it means
- A concerned parent — a worried one
- The parent concerned — the one involved in this matter
- Concerning before a noun means about; as an adjective it means worrying
- *A concerning development* is newer usage and now widely accepted
- Position is doing real grammatical work here, not style
From Latin *concernere*, to sift or mix together, later to relate to. The business sense arrived through Dutch and German commercial language, where a *Konzern* is still a company group.
Is concerning as an adjective correct?
Yes. It was criticised as an Americanism but has been in respectable use for decades and appears in major dictionaries.
What is a going concern?
An accounting term for a business expected to keep operating for the foreseeable future rather than be wound up.