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
- quasi-anxiously adverb
- unanxiously adverb
Etymology
Origin of anxiously
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.
People were anxiously milling about, some crying and in shock.
From BBC
She dials and we all wait anxiously while the phone rings on speaker.
From Literature
When a colleague asks where he is, she anxiously replies, “Uh, he’s in a personal.”
His five children are missing their dad, she says, and the family are still waiting anxiously for answers, not knowing if he was even on the boat hit in the strike.
From BBC
As the family anxiously waits for the court's verdict, they are holding out hope.
From BBC
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.
