anxiety

B1 Topic:Emotions & Feelings

US /ˌæŋ(ɡ)ˈzaɪ.ɪ.ti/ See IPA manual

Freq #5908

Meanings

1

noun
A feeling of worry or unease about something that might happen.

She felt a wave of anxiety before her job interview.
2

noun
A medical condition in which a person feels constant worry and nervousness.

He takes medication to help manage his anxiety.
3

noun
A strong, uneasy desire for something.

In her anxiety to please everyone, she forgot her own needs.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 noun · a feeling of worry or... anxiousness

More apprehension care disquiet disquietude distress foreboding perplexity restlessness solicitude trouble uneasiness

Word family

Forms anxieties

Derived forms antianxietyanxietistanxietizeanxietouseco-anxietyecoanxietyhangxietyhyperanxietynonanxietyoveranxietyringxietyscanxiety

Appears in

Phrases (1)

See all

castration anxiety
in psychoanalysis, fear that one's sexual organs or sexual capacity will be damaged or lost

Noun + noun

Simplified etymology

Anxiety entered English in the late Middle English period and derives ultimately from Latin angere, “to choke, squeeze, or strangle.” The development reflects the bodily tightness in the throat or chest that can accompany nervous distress.

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin anxietās, from anxius (“anxious, solicitous, distressed, troubled”), from angō (“to distress, trouble”), akin to Ancient Greek ἄγχω (ánkhō, “to choke”). Equivalent to anxious + -ety. See anger; angst.

*h₂enǵʰ- Proto-Indo-European

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Emotions & Feelings Psychology & Behavior

External links

# anxiety

**Type:** Word
**Level:** B1
**Part of speech:** noun
**IPA (US):** /ˌæŋ(ɡ)ˈzaɪ.ɪ.ti/
**Frequency rank:** 5908

## Meanings
1. A feeling of worry or unease about something that might happen.
2. A medical condition in which a person feels constant worry and nervousness.
3. A strong, uneasy desire for something.

## Examples
- She felt a wave of anxiety before her job interview.
- He takes medication to help manage his anxiety.
- In her anxiety to please everyone, she forgot her own needs.

## Synonyms
- apprehension
- care
- disquiet
- disquietude
- distress
- foreboding
- perplexity
- restlessness
- solicitude
- trouble
- uneasiness

## Derived Forms
- antianxiety
- anxietist
- anxietize
- anxietous
- eco-anxiety
- ecoanxiety
- hangxiety
- hyperanxiety
- nonanxiety
- overanxiety
- ringxiety
- scanxiety

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: *h₂enǵʰ-

## Etymology
Borrowed from Latin anxietās, from anxius (“anxious, solicitous, distressed, troubled”), from angō (“to distress, trouble”), akin to Ancient Greek ἄγχω (ánkhō, “to choke”). Equivalent to anxious + -ety. See anger; angst.

## AI Etymology
Anxiety is borrowed from Latin anxietās, from anxius (“anxious, solicitous, distressed, troubled”), from angō (“to distress, trouble”), akin to Ancient Greek ἄγχω (ánkhō, “to choke”). Equivalent to anxious plus -ety. Compare anger; angst. The historical line also includes Proto-Indo-European *h₂enǵʰ-. The analysis is mainly morphological: the modern nominal form is built from the named base and affix.

## Topics
- Emotions & Feelings
- Psychology & Behavior

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