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anxiety

noun
anx·​i·​ety | \ aÅ‹-ˈzÄ«-É™-tÄ“ How to pronounce anxiety (audio) \
plural anxieties

Definition of anxiety

1a(1) : apprehensive uneasiness or nervousness usually over an impending or anticipated ill : a state of being anxious More Buddhist uprisings in South Vietnam in the spring of 1966 intensified my anxiety.— Robert S. McNamara I felt my anxiety rise as we pressed deeper underground.— Jon Krakauer
(2) medical : an abnormal and overwhelming sense of apprehension and fear often marked by physical signs (such as tension, sweating, and increased pulse rate), by doubt concerning the reality and nature of the threat, and by self-doubt about one's capacity to cope with it
b : mentally distressing concern or interest Yet the pace of a child's progress can also be a source of anxiety for mothers and fathers.— Susan Ochshorn
c : a strong desire sometimes mixed with doubt, fear, or uneasiness … his anxiety to succeed and his continued nervousness over the possible bankruptcy of his shoe company caused her to lecture him about relaxing and caring for his health.— William Drake … present a gamble that consumers, in their anxiety to make an affordable deal, do not always appreciate.— Stephen Koepp
2 : a cause of anxiety … citizens stressed by gnawing economic and social anxieties.— Michael Pertschuk
Synonyms & Antonyms Choose the Right Synonym More Example Sentences Learn More about anxiety

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Choose the Right Synonym for anxiety

care, concern, solicitude, anxiety, worry mean a troubled or engrossed state of mind or the thing that causes this. care implies oppression of the mind weighed down by responsibility or disquieted by apprehension. a face worn by years of care concern implies a troubled state of mind because of personal interest, relation, or affection. crimes caused concern in the neighborhood solicitude implies great concern and connotes either thoughtful or hovering attentiveness toward another. acted with typical maternal solicitude anxiety stresses anguished uncertainty or fear of misfortune or failure. plagued by anxiety and self-doubt worry suggests fretting over matters that may or may not be real cause for anxiety. financial worries

Examples of anxiety in a Sentence

feelings of anger and anxiety She suffers from chronic anxiety. He's been feeling a lot of anxiety about his new job.
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Recent Examples on the Web

 Jojo deals with his natural shyness and anxiety with the help of his imaginary-friend version of Adolf. — Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, "Taika Waititi plays imaginary Adolf Hitler for laughs in Jojo Rabbit trailer," 3 Sep. 2019 So, is Chrissy and John's a custom piece, adding additional anxiety to the concept of mussing it? — Hadley Keller, House Beautiful, "Why I'm on a Quest to Find Chrissy Teigen's "Fear Couch"," 3 Sep. 2019 In some ways, grief can be more damaging than anxiety, more consuming than fear and can even dampen the strongest power of love. — Leslie Anne Tarabella, al, "When the world attacks, our brain compensates," 3 Sep. 2019 Yet some of these anxieties quelled after Grammer was assigned to a new pregnancy wing at Logan, which is about three hours southwest of Chicago. — Angie Leventis Lourgos, chicagotribune.com, "Pregnant behind bars: A downstate prison opens a special wing for mothers-to-be and postpartum inmates," 2 Sep. 2019 Not far from Johnson’s mobile community was a group of about 10 people who lean on a combination of beer and running to blow off hurricane anxiety. — Ben Crandell, sun-sentinel.com, "A day of questioning Hurricane Dorian: It’s going to turn, right?," 2 Sep. 2019 Dogs bred for sport fighting showed changes in the network that represented fear, stress, and anxiety responses. — Eva Frederick, Science | AAAS, "Humans haven’t just changed what dogs look like—we’ve altered the very structure of their brains," 2 Sep. 2019 In this case, the president’s lawlessness is facilitating a plan that would cleave apart and impose financial and environmental costs on Americans living in border communities, and legitimize anxieties that threaten immigrants across the country. — Osita Nwanevu, The New Republic, "The Border Wall Is Trump’s High Crime," 29 Aug. 2019 Mass shootings at schools and elsewhere have raised the nation’s anxiety level, but in the broader picture, crime has been dropping steadily on campus, according to federal statistics cited by U.S. News. — San Diego Union-Tribune, "Column: Lots of positives about students, schools amid increasing anxiety," 28 Aug. 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'anxiety.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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First Known Use of anxiety

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a(1)

History and Etymology for anxiety

Latin anxietas, from anxius

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More Definitions for anxiety

anxiety

noun
How to pronounce anxiety (audio)

English Language Learners Definition of anxiety

: fear or nervousness about what might happen
: a feeling of wanting to do something very much

See the full definition for anxiety in the English Language Learners Dictionary

anxiety

noun
anx·​i·​ety | \ aÅ‹-ˈzÄ«-É™-tÄ“ How to pronounce anxiety (audio) \
plural anxieties

Kids Definition of anxiety

: fear or nervousness about what might happen Tests cause many people anxiety.

anxiety

noun
anx·​i·​ety | \ aÅ‹-ˈzÄ«-É™t-Ä“ How to pronounce anxiety (audio) \
plural anxieties

Medical Definition of anxiety

1a(1) : apprehensive uneasiness or nervousness usually over an impending or anticipated ill : a state of being anxious

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