anxiety

[ang-zahy-i-tee]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR anxiety ON THESAURUS.COM

noun, plural anx·i·e·ties.

distress or uneasiness of mind caused by fear of danger or misfortune: He felt anxiety about the possible loss of his job.

earnest but tense desire; eagerness: He had a keen anxiety to succeed in his work.

Psychiatry. a state of apprehension and psychic tension occurring in some forms of mental disorder.

Origin of anxiety

1515–25; < Latin anxietās, equivalent to anxi(us) anxious + -etās, variant of -itās before a vowel

Synonyms for anxiety

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR anxiety ON THESAURUS.COM

1. fear, foreboding; worry, disquiet.

Synonym study

1. See apprehension.

Antonyms for anxiety

1. certainty, serenity, tranquillity.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for anxiety

nervousness, restlessness, apprehension, suffering, uncertainty, disquiet, unease, misgiving, mistrust, angst, jitters, doubt, uneasiness, dread, misery, suspense, trouble, panic, concern, distress

Examples from the Web for anxiety

Contemporary Examples of anxiety

Stephanie Giorgio, a classical musician, credits The Class for helping her cope with anxiety, focus, fear, and self-doubt.
How Taryn Toomey’s ‘The Class’ Became New York’s Latest Fitness Craze
Lizzie Crocker
January 9, 2015
Disordered eating is also linked to higher rates of depression and anxiety, both in the present and in the future.
How Skinny Is Too Skinny? Israel Bans ‘Underweight’ Models
Carrie Arnold
January 8, 2015
Anger often manifests in withholders as another self-destructive but more socially acceptable feeling or behavior, like anxiety.
Can Self-Help Books Really Make a New You?
Lizzie Crocker
December 29, 2014
Yet, in pursuit of that ‘great revival of art,’ his anxiety, depression, and overall health began to deteriorate.
Decoding Vincent Van Gogh’s Tempestuous, Fragile Mind
Nick Mafi
December 7, 2014
Practicing yoga, studies show, can alleviate symptoms of depression and anxiety.
9 Ways to Cope With Seasonal Affective Disorder
DailyBurn
December 5, 2014

Historical Examples of anxiety

Did Phidias express no anxiety concerning your unprotected situation?
Philothea
Lydia Maria Child
The ring of anxiety in Grace's voice had not been lost upon her.
Grace Harlowe's Return to Overton Campus
Jessie Graham Flower
He had no anxiety concerning the philanthropic craze thereafter.
Weighed and Wanting
George MacDonald
Then, as a new thought came to the magnate, he spoke with a trace of anxiety.
Within the Law
Marvin Dana
There was anxiety in his face, as he stood staring vaguely out of the window.
Within the Law
Marvin Dana

British Dictionary definitions for anxiety

anxiety

noun plural -ties

a state of uneasiness or tension caused by apprehension of possible future misfortune, danger, etc; worry

intense desire; eagerness

psychol a state of intense apprehension or worry often accompanied by physical symptoms such as shaking, intense feelings in the gut, etc, common in mental illness or after a very distressing experienceSee also angst

Word Origin for anxiety

C16: from Latin anxietas; see anxious

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

Word Origin and History for anxiety

1520s, from Latin anxietatem (nominative anxietas) "anguish, anxiety, solicitude," noun of quality from anxius (see anxious). Psychiatric use dates to 1904. Age of Anxiety is from Auden's poem (1947). For "anxiety, distress," Old English had angsumnes, Middle English anxumnesse.

anxiety in Medicine

anxiety

[ăng-zī′ĭ-tē]

n.

A state of uneasiness and apprehension, as about future uncertainties.

A cause of anxiety.

A state of intense apprehension, uncertainty, and fear resulting from the anticipation of a threatening event or situation, often to a degree that normal physical and psychological functioning is disrupted.

anxiety in Science

anxiety

[ăng-zī′ĭ-tē]

A state of apprehension and fear resulting from the anticipation of a threatening event or situation.♦ In psychiatry, a patient has an anxiety disorder ♦ if normal psychological functioning is disrupted or if anxiety persists without an identifiable cause.

anxiety in Culture

anxiety

Emotional distress, especially that brought on by fear of failure. (See also angst.)