anxious
[ angk-shuhs, ang- ]
/ ˈæŋk ʃəs, ˈæŋ- /
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adjective
full of mental distress or uneasiness because of fear of danger or misfortune; greatly worried; solicitous: Her parents were anxious about her poor health.
earnestly desirous; eager (usually followed by an infinitive or for): anxious to please; anxious for our happiness.
attended with or showing solicitude or uneasiness: anxious forebodings.
SYNONYMS FOR anxious
ANTONYMS FOR anxious
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“Was” is used for the indicative past tense of “to be,” and “were” is only used for the subjunctive past tense.
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Origin of anxious
historical usage of anxious
The earliest sense of anxious (in the 17th century) was “troubled” or “worried”: We are still anxious for the safety of our dear sons in battle. Its meaning “earnestly desirous, eager” arose in the mid-18th century: We are anxious to see our new grandson. Some insist that anxious must always convey a sense of distress or worry and object to its use in the sense of “eager,” but such use is fully standard.
OTHER WORDS FROM anxious
Words nearby anxious
anxiety hysteria, anxiety neurosis, anxiety reaction, anxiety state, anxiolytic, anxious, anxious seat, any, Anyang, anybody, any day
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Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021
Example sentences from the Web for anxious
British Dictionary definitions for anxious
anxious
/ (ˈæŋkʃəs, ˈæŋʃəs) /
adjective
worried and tense because of possible misfortune, danger, etc; uneasy
fraught with or causing anxiety; worrying; distressingan anxious time
intensely desirous; eageranxious for promotion
Derived forms of anxious
anxiously, adverbanxiousness, nounWord Origin for anxious
C17: from Latin anxius; related to Latin angere to torment; see anger, anguish
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
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