most concerning issue

USAGE SUMMARY

"most concerning issue" is correct and can be used in written English.
You can use the phrase to refer to the issue that is the most worrying or concerning. For example, "Climate change is the most concerning issue of our time."

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Science

Formal & Business

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

5 human-written examples

Only 15% of Americans in a National Journal survey thought that the most concerning issue with regards to new agreements to reduce deficits concerns was that any deal would "not meet its target for reducing the federal deficit and debt".

The Guardian - Opinion

Glenoid loosening remains the single most concerning issue regarding the longevity of total shoulder replacement.

Seminars in Arthroplasty

Perhaps the most concerning issue is the ticking time bomb of sustainability, or ensuring IoT devices remain secure long-term, throughout their entire life cycle.

TechCrunch

The email, with the subject line, "Vanity Fair Article With Fugitive – May Cause Additional Work," said "the much anticipated Vanity Fair article with the fugitive is out.... Probably the most concerning issue in the article is the fugitives [sic] assertion that he raised complaints with NSA lawyers and oversight and compliance personnel".

Vice

Whilst there were relatively minor frustrations about hospital systems (especially communication processes), the most concerning issue was the repeated accounts of perceived discrimination experienced by patients.

BMC Health Services Research

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

53 human-written examples

"Climate change is one of the most concerning issues facing all humanity and the United States needs to do its part".

The Guardian - Film

The group, which formed from a University of Leeds research project that has been tracking the impact of austerity on the lives of unemployed people, including lone parents and disabled people, for more than two years, says its intention was to highlight the most concerning issues.

The Guardian

One of the most concerning issues currently being faced by the society is the increase in world's population and its impact on the availability of fresh water.

Applied Water Science

One of the most concerning issues in CRT is the difficulty and low success rate of salvage surgery for residual or recurrent disease when CRT fails 7. A solution to this issue would be pretreatment risk stratification of patients into good and poor response groups, which would lead to individualized treatment, where the poor response group would be initially treated with surgery instead of CRT.

Cancer Medicine

Moreover, the weighting from community survey by the AHP questionnaire in this study ranked global warming potential and air pollution in the top three most concerning environmental issues in India.

International Journal of Energy and Environmental Engineering

Future mitogenomic determination of the 200+ remaining species within Myctophidae will most certaninly increase our knowledge concerning issues associated with gene order rearrangement events and their utility as phylogenetic markers.

BMC Evolutionary Biology

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

When using the phrase "most concerning issue", ensure the context clearly establishes what makes the issue concerning. Provide specific details or examples to support your claim.

Common error

Avoid using "most concerning issue" without sufficient justification. Vague statements can weaken your argument. Always provide context and specific reasons for your concern.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "most concerning issue" functions as a noun phrase that identifies a specific problem or matter that is considered the most worrying or significant. As Ludwig AI confirms, it is considered grammatically correct and can be used in written English. It is used to emphasize the high degree of worry associated with the identified issue.

Expression frequency: Uncommon

Frequent in

News & Media

38%

Science

38%

Formal & Business

12%

Less common in

Encyclopedias

8%

Wiki

0%

Reference

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, the phrase "most concerning issue" is a grammatically correct and widely accepted way to describe a problem that is particularly worrying or significant. Ludwig AI confirms this phrase is suitable for use in written English. It is most frequently found in news and media, as well as in scientific publications, indicating its suitability for professional and neutral contexts. When using this phrase, it's best practice to provide specific details and justifications to support why the issue is concerning. Alternatives such as "major concern" or "primary worry" can be used depending on the desired level of formality and emphasis.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

major concern

This alternative uses "major" instead of "most concerning", simplifying the phrasing.

primary concern

This alternative focuses on the prioritization of the concern rather than the intensity.

chief concern

This alternative uses "chief" to highlight the main or leading concern.

biggest worry

This alternative uses a more informal word, "worry", instead of "issue" and "concerning".

pressing problem

This alternative emphasizes the urgency of the problem, utilizing the word "pressing".

topmost issue

This alternative uses "topmost" to emphasize the issue's importance.

greatest apprehension

This alternative uses a more formal and intense word, "apprehension", to convey the concern.

most alarming problem

This alternative uses "alarming" and "problem" to highlight the potentially dangerous nature of the issue.

foremost consideration

This alternative highlights the importance of the issue as something that needs to be considered before others.

critical matter

This alternative changes the focus to the seriousness and importance of the subject at hand, using the word "matter".

FAQs

How can I use "most concerning issue" in a sentence?

You can use "most concerning issue" to highlight a significant problem. For example, "The "most concerning issue" is the lack of funding for education."/

What are some alternatives to "most concerning issue"?

Alternatives include "major concern", "primary concern", or "greatest apprehension". Each of these phrases conveys a similar sense of significance, but with slightly different nuances. You can also use "biggest worry" if it sounds more natural.

Is "most concerning issue" a formal or informal expression?

The phrase "most concerning issue" is suitable for both formal and neutral contexts. However, in very informal settings, you might prefer phrases like "biggest worry" or "main problem".

What makes "most concerning issue" different from "important issue"?

While both phrases indicate significance, "most concerning issue" emphasizes the worry or anxiety associated with the problem. "Important issue" simply highlights the issue's relevance or significance.