anxiety
Americannoun
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anxieties
plural
-
distress or uneasiness of mind caused by fear of danger or misfortune.
He felt anxiety about the possible loss of his job.
- Synonyms:
- disquiet, worry, foreboding, fear
- Antonyms:
- tranquility, serenity, certainty
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earnest but tense desire; eagerness.
He had a keen anxiety to succeed in his work.
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Psychiatry. a state of apprehension and psychic tension occurring in some forms of mental disorder.
noun
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a state of uneasiness or tension caused by apprehension of possible future misfortune, danger, etc; worry
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intense desire; eagerness
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psychol a state of intense apprehension or worry often accompanied by physical symptoms such as shaking, intense feelings in the gut, etc, common in mental illness or after a very distressing experience See also angst
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A state of apprehension and fear resulting from the anticipation of a threatening event or situation.
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◆ In psychiatry, a patient has an anxiety disorder ◆ if normal psychological functioning is disrupted or if anxiety persists without an identifiable cause.
Synonym Usage
See apprehension.
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of anxiety
First recorded in 1515–25; from Latin anxietās, equivalent to anxi(us) anxious + -etās, variant of -itās before a vowel
Compare meaning
How does anxiety compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:
Explanation
Anxiety is the vague, uneasy feeling you get when you're dreading something. Anxiety can also be a permanent state of nervousness that some people with mental illnesses experience, a milder version of panic. When a scary or unpleasant event is looming, like getting a family portrait taken the year you have braces, you might feel some anxiety. You might also feel anxiety about passing chemistry, especially if you’ve skipped a lot of classes. Someone who suffers from a mild or severe mental illness might feel anxiety all the time. Deep breathing, playing relaxing music, and medication have all been known to help reduce anxiety.
Vocabulary lists containing anxiety
The SAT: Words to Capture Tone, List 4
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"The Tell-Tale Heart," Vocabulary from the short story
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The New SAT: Words to Capture Tone
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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.
See Examples For:
However, cortisol levels that remain elevated for long periods can have negative health effects and have been associated with greater risks of anxiety, depression, and heart disease.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 9, 2026
Together we addressed my combination of crippling anxiety, debilitating fear and crushingly low self-image.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 7, 2026
As a fellow woman of color who likes to travel solo, I can empathize with this anxiety.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 6, 2026
She says those physical sensations - including a heavy feeling in her chest, a racing heart and difficulty concentrating - can reinforce the symptoms of anxiety, creating a cycle that is difficult to break.
From BBC ● Aug. 5, 2026
But just as fog didn’t stop them from flying and an official reprimand didn’t stop them from using their own maintenance system, exhaustion and anxiety attacks didn’t stop them from fighting.
From "A Thousand Sisters" by Elizabeth Wein
The optimistic outlook puts to rest investor anxieties that have weighed on the company after its first-quarter report, when management signaled potential top-line deceleration.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 5, 2026
To some, it may feel like Araki is flattening complex social mores and misunderstanding the anxieties behind this era of semi-celibacy.
From Salon ● Jul. 31, 2026
Outside that genre, he enjoys a reputation for being an acutely psychological chronicler of contemporary anxieties, as in his award-winning 2008 drama of job loss and family secrets, “Tokyo Sonata.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 30, 2026
Aiyar believes the movement has tapped into broader anxieties over a slowing economy, scarce jobs and a deepening sense that the future offers diminishing opportunities.
From BBC ● Jul. 23, 2026
And from the moment in the supermarket when he had realized he must pretend in order not to worry his mother, part of Will’s mind was always alert to her anxieties.
From "The Subtle Knife" by Philip Pullman
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.
