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Synonyms

anxiousness

American  
[angk-shuhs-nis, ang-] / ˈæŋk ʃəs nɪs, ˈæŋ- /

noun

  1. the state of being greatly worried; mental distress or uneasiness because of fear of danger or misfortune; anxiety.

    The warm welcome from her new classmates made all her anxiousness go away.

  2. the state of being earnestly desirous; eagerness (followed by to orfor ).

    As he sat in the cabin of the combat plane, he felt no fear or apprehension, just anxiousness to get airborne.


Other Word Forms

Etymology

Origin of anxiousness

First recorded in 1630–40; anxious ( def. ) + -ness ( def. )

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.

See Examples For:

The terrific Mr. Baker portrays Leigh with antsy anxiousness thinly masked by a veneer of professional camaraderie—he knows that Jay’s participation is crucial to the success, or maybe existence, of the production.

From The Wall Street Journal Mar. 19, 2026

"It will just take the anxiousness away from every storm, every winter - even when it rains the anxiety levels are through the roof," she said.

From BBC Feb. 1, 2026

“I’m sure there’s going to be some anxiousness, some nerves, that there naturally should be, until you kind of get a couple starts under your belt.”

From Los Angeles Times May 6, 2024

He admitted a bit of anxiousness crept in as he wondered who he’d been paired with, before he spotted a clue about the identity of his mystery roommate.

From Seattle Times Apr. 18, 2024

But I can tell she is a little jumpy, she can’t hide all of her anxiousness.

From "Native Speaker" by Chang-rae Lee

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