anxious
Americanadjective
-
full of mental distress or uneasiness because of fear of danger or misfortune; greatly worried; apprehensive.
Her parents were anxious about her poor health.
- Synonyms:
- enthusiastic, solicitous, uneasy, fearful, disturbed, concerned
-
earnestly desirous; eager (usually followed by an infinitive orfor ): anxious for our happiness.
anxious to please;
anxious for our happiness.
-
attended with or showing solicitude or uneasiness.
anxious forebodings.
adjective
-
worried and tense because of possible misfortune, danger, etc; uneasy
-
fraught with or causing anxiety; worrying; distressing
an anxious time
-
intensely desirous; eager
anxious for promotion
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of anxious
First recorded in 1615–25; from Latin anxius “worried, distressed,” derivative of angere “to strangle, pain, distress”; cf. anguish, -ous
Compare meaning
How does anxious compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:
Explanation
When you are anxious, you are very concerned or worried, but it can also refer to when you are quite interested in something. You might be anxious to improve your performance in math class after falling asleep during a big test. The word anxious has generally been used to describe when someone is very concerned about something. In medical terms, to be anxious means feeling uneasy and worried but not always with a specific focus. On the other hand, being anxious can also mean that you are very eager. One meaning is negative and the other is positive!
Vocabulary lists containing anxious
ACT Reading Test: Words to Capture Tone, List 1
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In the Mood? 100 Words to Describe Emotions
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"Seventh Grade" by Gary Soto
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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.
Many are anxious about the fate of their homes, while others have had their holidays abruptly cut short.
From Barron's ● Jul. 25, 2026
“I get a bit anxious before approaching someone, but once I get into an activity, I get comfortable with the people doing that thing and I become a very outgoing person.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 23, 2026
The pressure to embrace more AI tools at work also has sparked concerns among tech workers who are anxious that their jobs could be automated in the future.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 22, 2026
Even after I started paying more attention to what made my micromanaging boss anxious, she was still exhausting.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 21, 2026
And he’d been so anxious and uneasy the night before that he’d hardly slept.
From "The First State of Being" by Erin Entrada Kelly
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.
