anxious

[ angk-shuhs, ang- ]
See synonyms for anxious on Thesaurus.com
adjective
  1. full of mental distress or uneasiness because of fear of danger or misfortune; greatly worried; apprehensive: Her parents were anxious about her poor health.

  2. earnestly desirous; eager (usually followed by an infinitive or for): anxious to please;anxious for our happiness.

  1. attended with or showing solicitude or uneasiness: anxious forebodings.

Origin of anxious

1
First recorded in 1615–25; from Latin anxius “worried, distressed,” derivative of angere “to strangle, pain, distress”; cf. anguish, -ous

word story For anxious

The earliest sense of anxious (in the 17th century) was “troubled” or “worried”: We are still anxious for the safety of our dear sons in battle. Its meaning “earnestly desirous, eager” arose in the mid-18th century: We are anxious to see our new grandson. Some insist that anxious must always convey a sense of distress or worry and object to its use in the sense of “eager,” but such use is fully standard.

Other words for anxious

Opposites for anxious

Other words from anxious

  • anx·ious·ly, adverb
  • anx·ious·ness, noun
  • qua·si-anx·ious, adjective
  • un·anx·ious, adjective

Words Nearby anxious

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How to use anxious in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for anxious

anxious

/ (ˈæŋkʃəs, ˈæŋʃəs) /


adjective
  1. worried and tense because of possible misfortune, danger, etc; uneasy

  2. fraught with or causing anxiety; worrying; distressing: an anxious time

  1. intensely desirous; eager: anxious for promotion

Origin of anxious

1
C17: from Latin anxius; related to Latin angere to torment; see anger, anguish

Derived forms of anxious

  • anxiously, adverb
  • anxiousness, noun

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