Definition

Verb: * To cause mental distress, worry, or unease; to trouble or perturb someone's mind.

Usage

The verb "cark" is an archaic or literary term meaning to burden or distress with worry. It is almost always used in a passive or reflexive construction (e.g., "to be carked," "to cark oneself") to describe a state of being anxious or troubled. It is rarely used in modern, everyday English.

Examples

• The constant bad news from abroad began to cark him.
• She was carked by the uncertainty of her future.
• Do not cark yourself over matters you cannot control.

Advanced Usage

• "To cark it": This is an unrelated, chiefly Australian and New Zealand slang phrase meaning "to die" or "to break down." It is important not to confuse this idiomatic phrasal verb with the standalone verb "cark."
  • Example: My old car finally carked it on the highway.

Variants and Related Words

• Carking (adjective): Distressing, worrying, or burdensome. This form is also archaic.
  • Example: He was weighed down by carking care.

Synonyms

• Perturb
• Trouble
• Distress
• Unease
• Worry
• Agitate

Antonyms

• Soothe
• Calm
• Comfort
• Reassure
• Settle

Related Idioms/Phrases

• Cark it: (Slang) To die, cease functioning, or break down completely.
  • Example: The engine made a strange noise and then just carked it.

Verb

1. disturb in mind or make uneasy or cause to be worried or alarmed
   • She was rather perturbed by the news that her father was seriously ill