angst

[ ahngkst, angst ]

See synonyms for angst on Thesaurus.com

noun

a feeling of dread, anxiety, or anguish.

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

Other words from angst

angsty, adjective, angst·i·er, angst·i·est.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

British Dictionary definitions for angst

angst

/ (æŋst, German aŋst) /

noun

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

Origin of angst

German

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Cultural definitions for angst

angst

[ (ahngkst) ]

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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