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

The games don’t save us, but they allow for a release of all the angst and pressure.

From Washington Post

It is an exceptionally vulnerable stage of life anyway, and this is a generation that has grown up with school-shooter drills and built-in angst about the long-term effects of climate change.

From Time

Twelve years after conservatives condemned a Department of Homeland Security report on right-wing radicalization, its conclusion — that the Internet and economic angst were making it easier for extremists to recruit — looks prescient.

From Washington Post

A buildup of angst against ad trackers and app snooping led to major changes in hardware and software alike.

From Popular-Science

This covid-19 shutdown is the small respite that everyone needed, the pass that is going to prevent an entire subcategory of familial angst in 2020.

From Washington Post

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