angst

[ ahngkst, angst ]

noun

1. a feeling of dread, anxiety, or anguish.

angst

/ æŋst; aŋst /

noun

1. an acute but nonspecific sense of anxiety or remorse
2. (in Existentialist philosophy) the dread caused by man's awareness that his future is not determined but must be freely chosen

angst

1. A kind of fear or anxiety ; Angst is German for “fear.” It is usually applied to a deep and essentially philosophical anxiety about the world in general or personal freedom. ( See existentialism .)

Other Words From

• angsty adjective angstier angstiest

Word History and Origins

Origin of angst¹

First recorded in 1840–50; from German Angst “fear, anxiety,” Old High German angust (cognate with Middle Low German angest, Middle Dutch anxt ), from ang- (akin to eng “narrow, constricted”) + -st, abstract noun suffix

Word History and Origins

Origin of angst¹

German

Example Sentences

Heightening his angst, Warren pines for precocious Jessica (Gevinson).

From The Daily Beast

All the paranoia over shape, all the body angst, previously thought as reserved for women, is coming our way, guys.

From The Daily Beast

Breaking up is hard to do—especially for your friends who have to listen to countless hours of your post-relationship angst.

From The Daily Beast

Even before that ode to Jewish angst and masturbation hit the bookstores in 1969, Roth was a Yaddo veteran.

From The Daily Beast

And I admit I look back on my teenage self and think a lot of my angst sounds like an Onion article.

From The Daily Beast

Her situation is a very difficult one; and "die Angst," she says, often brings on a pain at her heart.

From Project Gutenberg

As used in the early eighteenth century, the term "hyp" was perhaps not far from what our century has learned to call Angst.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• agony
• apprehension
• dread
• misgiving
• nervousness
• uneasiness