anxiously
Americanadverb
-
in an uneasy or worried manner.
My first call was to my wife, who had been anxiously awaiting word of my whereabouts.
-
in an earnestly desirous or eager manner.
They are anxiously awaiting the birth of their first child.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of anxiously
Vocabulary lists containing anxiously
The Invention of Hugo Cabret
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Spelling Practice, Unit 2
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
It’s totally fine to karaoke with a buddy, but if that’s the only way someone sings, they’re the Anxiously Attached Performer.
From Seattle Times • Oct. 27, 2023
Walevska responded to the email with alacrity: “Please phone me as soon as you can! Anxiously awaiting your phone contact.”
From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 22, 2020
Anxiously attached people tend to be overly preoccupied with their partners and whether they love them back, while avoidants equate intimacy with a loss of independence and deploy distancing strategies.
From The Guardian • Nov. 5, 2019
Anxiously checking the mailbox every day, I breathed a huge sigh of relief when I finally retrieved the envelope with my name neatly spelled out: Mrs. Natalia Gervais.
From Salon • Sep. 1, 2018
Anxiously Curly retraced his steps to the owl den and pointed a flashlight down the hole.
From "Hoot" by Carl Hiaasen
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
