anxiously
Americanadverb
-
in an uneasy or worried manner.
My first call was to my wife, who had been anxiously awaiting word of my whereabouts.
-
in an earnestly desirous or eager manner.
They are anxiously awaiting the birth of their first child.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of anxiously
Vocabulary lists containing anxiously
The Invention of Hugo Cabret
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Spelling Practice, Unit 2
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Some wrote anxiously about the “strain . . . being felt throughout the services, in terms of wear and tear on the troops, their families, and their equipment.”
From Salon ● Sep. 20, 2026
He noted that Americans “show themselves every day more anxiously interested” in the “emancipation of the world.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 4, 2026
Another family member anxiously awaiting news is Priya Kharel, whose brother Milan was working as an engineer in the Upper Trishuli-1 plant when the floods hit.
From BBC ● Aug. 31, 2026
The sailors anxiously watched as tugboats battled the blaze that had engulfed storage tanks.
From Barron's ● Aug. 4, 2026
Her feet anxiously traced little dance steps on the carpet, as if they could not help themselves.
From "The Long-Lost Home" by Maryrose Wood
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
