Anxious Definition & Meaning - Merriam-Webster

Definition of anxious · 1 : characterized by extreme uneasiness of mind or brooding fear about some contingency : worried anxious parents · 2 : characterized by, ... Login SignUp Hello, Games&Quizzes Thesaurus WordoftheDay Features BuyingGuide M-WBooks JoinMWU MyWordsMyWords ViewRecents Account LogOut anxious adjective SaveWord anx·​ious |\ˈaŋ(k)-shəs \ Definitionofanxious 1 :characterizedbyextremeuneasinessofmindorbroodingfearaboutsomecontingency:worried anxiousparents 2 :characterizedby,resultingfrom,orcausinganxiety:worrying Theyspentananxiousnight. 3 :ardentlyorearnestlywishing Shewasanxioustolearnmore. OtherWordsfromanxious Synonyms&Antonyms ChoosetheRightSynonym CananxiousBeUsedasaSynonymforeager? MoreExampleSentences LearnMoreAboutanxious OtherWordsfromanxious anxiously adverb anxiousness noun Synonyms&Antonymsforanxious Synonyms aflutter, antsy, atwitter, dithery, edgy, goosey, hetup, hinky [slang], hungup, illatease, insecure, jittery, jumpy, nervous, nervy, perturbed, queasy (alsoqueazy), tense, troubled, uneasy, unquiet, upset, uptight, worried Antonyms calm, collected, cool, easy, happy-go-lucky, nerveless, relaxed VisittheThesaurusforMore  ChoosetheRightSynonymforanxious eager,avid,keen,anxious,athirstmeanmovedbyastrongandurgentdesireorinterest.eagerimpliesardorandenthusiasmandsometimesimpatienceatdelayorrestraint. eagertogetstarted avidaddstoeagertheimplicationofinsatiabilityorgreed. avidfornewthrills keensuggestsintensityofinterestandquickresponsivenessinaction. keenonthelatestfashions anxiousemphasizesfearoffrustrationorfailureordisappointment. anxiousnottomakeasocialblunder athirststressesyearningbutnotnecessarilyreadinessforaction. athirstforadventure CananxiousBeUsedasaSynonymforeager? ThefactthatindividualwordscanhavemultiplesensesthatarecloselyrelatedinmeaningissomethingwhichmanypeoplefindobjectionableabouttheEnglishlanguage.Anxiousisanexampleofsuchaword,aspeoplewilluseittomean"worried,""eager(butwithanundertoneofworry),"andsimply"eager." Thewordhasbeenusedinthesenseof"eager"foraconsiderablelengthoftime,withevidencegoingbackatleasttothe17thcentury. ExamplesofanxiousinaSentence …totheeyeanxiousforreforminthecityandforgetfulofconditionsinthecountryside… —JosephA.Amato,Dust,2000 Hewasexhaustedyetexhilarated,anxious…aboutgettingontheicewithateamthathadachancetowin. —MichaelFarber,SportsIllustrated,20Mar.2000 Theindividualstates—fearfuloflosingindustryandricherresidentstolower-taxrivalsandanxioustominimizetheirburdenofneedycitizens… —Atlantic,May1997 Hewassoanxioustogetaflyintothewaterthathehadtoreproachhimselfforhaste. —JohnCheever,TheWapshotChronicle,1957 Shefeelsanxiousanddepressed. Peopleareanxiousaboutthefuture. Hewasanxiousthattheweatherwouldnotimproveintimefortheparty. Weexperiencedafewanxiousmomentsaswewaitedtoheartheresultsofthetest. Itwasananxiousnightasshewaitedforherchildrentocomehome. Hewaswaitingatthedoorwithananxiousexpressiononhisface. Hewasanxiousformorenews. SeeMore RecentExamplesontheWeb Loftinsaidthatintheweeksandmonthsbeforetheshooting,Crumbleywashallucinating,hearingvoices,extremelyanxiousandbeggingforhelp. — TresaBaldas,USATODAY,23Feb.2022 Loftinsaidthatintheweeksandmonthsbeforetheshooting,EthanCrumblingwashallucinating,hearingvoices,extremelyanxiousandbeggingforhelp. — TresaBaldas,DetroitFreePress,22Feb.2022 Youngpeopleinparticulararestrugglingwiththeimpacts:Morekidsandteensarereportingbeingstressed,anxiousanddepressed. — MichelleBaruchman,AnchorageDailyNews,16Feb.2022 Inthedaysfollowinghispoliceinterrogations,Browngrewanxiousandscared. — SanDiegoUnion-Tribune,6Feb.2022 StudentsonTuesdayreportedfeelinganxiousandworriedaboutthesituation. — WashingtonPost,2Feb.2022 Inone2019studyof117athletespublishedinthejournalSports,thosewhoweretrainedinpositiveself-talkwerelessanxiousandmoreself-confidentintheirabilities,andperformedbetterintheirsportovertime. — CindyKuzma,SELF,11Jan.2022 Therehasbeenanespeciallyhighdemandforservicesthisschoolyearbecausekidsareoverwhelmed,anxiousanddepressed. — LauraNewberry,LosAngelesTimes,20Dec.2021 Withthemosquitofishanxiousandscared,thetadpolesventuredoutmorewithoutfearingthatthefishwouldnipattheirtails. — RashaAridi,SmithsonianMagazine,17Dec.2021 Theseexamplesentencesareselectedautomaticallyfromvariousonlinenewssourcestoreflectcurrentusageoftheword'anxious.'ViewsexpressedintheexamplesdonotrepresenttheopinionofMerriam-Websteroritseditors.Sendusfeedback. SeeMore FirstKnownUseofanxious 1548,inthemeaningdefinedatsense1 HistoryandEtymologyforanxious Latinanxius"worried,disturbed,uneasy,markedbyorinducinganxietyordistress"(adjectivederivativefromthebaseofangere"tochoke,causepainto,afflict,vex")+-ous—moreatangerentry1 LearnMoreAboutanxious Shareanxious PosttheDefinitionofanxioustoFacebook SharetheDefinitionofanxiousonTwitter TimeTravelerforanxious Thefirstknownuseofanxiouswas in1548 Seemorewordsfromthesameyear FromtheEditorsatMerriam-Webster Can'Anxious'BeUsedtoMean'Eager'? Can'Anxious'BeUsedtoMean'Eager'? Onlyifyouaccepttheexampleofsomeofourmostcelebratedwriters DictionaryEntriesNearanxious anxiolytic anxious anxiousbench SeeMoreNearbyEntries  Statisticsforanxious LastUpdated 1Mar2022 Look-upPopularity CitethisEntry “Anxious.”Merriam-Webster.comDictionary,Merriam-Webster,https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/anxious.Accessed10Mar.2022. Style:MLA MLA Chicago APA Merriam-Webster MoreDefinitionsforanxious anxious adjective anx·​ious |\ˈaŋk-shəs \ KidsDefinitionofanxious 1 :afraidornervousaboutwhatmayhappen Theparentswereanxiousaboutthechild'shealth. 2 :causingorshowingfearornervousness ananxiousmoment 3 :wantingverymuch:eager Sheisanxioustogethome. OtherWordsfromanxious anxiously adverb anxious adjective anx·​ious |\ˈaŋ(k)-shəs \ Medical Definitionofanxious 1 :characterizedbyextremeuneasinessofmindorbroodingfearaboutsomecontingency anxiousstudents 2 :characterizedby,resultingfrom,orcausinganxiety ananxioustimeinthehospitalwaitingroom MorefromMerriam-Websteronanxious Nglish:TranslationofanxiousforSpanishSpeakers BritannicaEnglish:TranslationofanxiousforArabicSpeakers WORDOFTHEDAY tempestuous SeeDefinitionsandExamples» GetWordoftheDaydailyemail! TestYourVocabulary NamethatThing:FlowerEdition Namethatflower hyacinth amaryllis chrysanthemum hydrangea Testyourvisualvocabularywithour10-questionchallenge! TAKETHEQUIZ Adailychallengeforcrosswordfanatics. TAKETHEQUIZ SubscribetoAmerica'slargestdictionaryandgetthousandsmoredefinitionsandadvancedsearch—adfree! Merriam-Websterunabridged WordsatPlay 'Za'and9OtherWordstoHelpYouWinatSCRABBLE Thesecrettop10wordsexpertsusetowinatSCR... 'Lose'or'Loose'? Keepthissomewhereyouwon'tforgetit HowtoUseAccentsandDiacriticalMarks Youknow,themarkingsaboveandbelowletters. WordsoftheWeek-March4 Fromtheweekending3/4/2022 AsktheEditors 'Everyday'vs.'EveryDay' Asimpletricktokeepthemseparate WhatIs'SemanticBleaching'? How'literally'canmean"figuratively" Literally Howtouseawordthat(literally)drivessomepe... IsSingular'They'aBetterChoice? Theawkwardcaseof'hisorher' WordGames TheReturnofCommonlyConfusedWords Yourchallengeisimminent.Orisitimmanent? Takethequiz ChallengingVocabularyQuizReturns! Notricks,justhardwordsyoumightencounterin... Takethequiz NameThatThing Testyourvisualvocabularywithour10-question... Takethequiz