anxiously

[angk-shuhs-lee, ang-]

adverb

1. in an uneasy or worried manner.

   My first call was to my wife, who had been anxiously awaiting word of my whereabouts.

2. in an earnestly desirous or eager manner.

   They are anxiously awaiting the birth of their first child.

Other Word Forms

• quasi-anxiously adverb
• unanxiously adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of anxiously¹

anxious ( def. ) + -ly

Example Sentences

And Israeli hostage families anxiously await to see their captive relatives return after a months-long struggle in the streets and lobbying world leaders to their cause.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

As investors anxiously await news of the next Fed chair, Matt’s story is vital reading.

Read more on Barron's

For most of Monday night, a crowd of 45,653 in South Philadelphia sat anxiously in anticipation, waiting for the dam to break in an old-fashioned pitchers’ duel.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

She is also anxiously waiting for news of the search at a command post on the side of the road.

Read more on BBC

With peak hurricane season now in full swing, Dwight is among many Caribbean people anxiously monitoring weather platforms for activity in the Atlantic.

Read more on BBC

Related Words

• attentively 
• conscientiously www.thesaurus.com
• correctly www.thesaurus.com
• deliberately 
• delicately 
• discreetly 
• faithfully 
• fully 
• gingerly 
• laboriously 
• meticulously 
• precisely 
• prudently 
• rigorously 
• scrupulously 
• thoroughly 
• thoughtfully www.thesaurus.com
• warily