angst

American  

[ahngkst, angst] / ɑŋkst, æŋst /

noun

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

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angst British  

/ 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

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angst Cultural  

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.)

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Other Word Forms

• angsty adjective

Etymology

Origin of angst

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

Example Sentences

Software stocks continue to lead the downturn and have acted as the lynchpin for AI-related angst in the broader market.

From Barron's

The market’s more recent angst, however, is somewhat paradoxical.

From Barron's

But the arrival of these goods is sparking acute angst in Germany – the traditional engine of Europe but one that's been stuttering, economically, for years.

From BBC

Since then, subsequent attempts to take and hold 7000 have been thwarted by some form or another of AI angst, geopolitical risk, or trade and tariff uncertainty.

From Barron's

AI angst is spreading way beyond the tech industry.

From Barron's

Related Words

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