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anxiety

noun
anx·​i·​ety | \ aŋ-ˈzī-ə-tē 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

 Moskowitz was in the crowd at the time and writes of suffering from severe anxiety and PTSD over the following year. — Jacob Bacharach, The New Republic, "Who Gets to Speak Freely?," 21 Aug. 2019 Every little thing would trigger anxiety over the fact my family could be separated. — NBC News, "Being an undocumented immigrant threw me into a mental health crisis – here's why," 13 Aug. 2019 The sell-off adds to losses the market racked up last week amid heightened anxiety over the U.S. China-trade war that is stretching from the tradings desks of Wall Street to the soybean and corn fields of Iowa. — CBS News, "Dow drops nearly 400 points thanks to growing trade war fears," 12 Aug. 2019 Oklahoma State got the anxiety over what the quarterback is going to look like and some other things. — oregonlive.com, "Oklahoma State knows Oregon State game isn’t a gimme," 9 Aug. 2019 Most notably, public attitudes in England show higher levels of euroscepticism, compared to the rest of the UK, and anxiety over England being left behind by the UK devolution process. — Gareth Evans, Quartz, "The UK’s next prime minister must urgently answer five constitutional questions," 28 June 2019 Financial markets around the globe have been whipsawed by anxiety over the US-China trade war, sending investors fleeing from stocks to the safety of bonds and pushing bond interest-rates to record lows. — BostonGlobe.com, "April strike cost Stop & Shop $345m in net sales," 9 Aug. 2019 Nestled in the foothills of Washington’s Cascade Mountains, the bustling Seattle suburb of Issaquah seems an unlikely candidate for anxiety over wildfires. — Tom James, The Seattle Times, "U.S. Northwest towns ‘woefully unprepared’ as fire risk grows," 5 Aug. 2019 But the ability to know another person's whereabouts at all times doesn't jibe well with a penchant for anxiety. — Wired Staff, WIRED, "From Robots to E-Scooters, All the Things We Loved This Month," 31 July 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 | \ aŋ-ˈzī-ə-tē 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 | \ aŋ-ˈzī-ət-ē 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
(2)

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