anxiousness

C2+ Topic:Abstract Ideas

US /ˈæŋkʃəsnəs/ UK /ˈaŋkʃəsnəs/ See IPA manual

Meanings

1

noun
the state of being uneasy or worried; nervous apprehension

A faint anxiousness crept over her as the interview drew near.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 noun · the state of being uneasy... anxiety unease worry apprehension nervousness disquiet

Opposites

calmness composure serenity ease

Word family

Related forms anxious anxiety anguish

Etymology

From anxious + -ness, from Latin anxius ('troubled, distressed'), from angere ('to choke, cause distress'), from Proto-Indo-European *h₂enǵʰ- ('tight, painfully constricted').

anxius Latin *h₂enǵʰ- Proto-Indo-European

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Abstract Ideas Word Formation & Derivatives

External links

# anxiousness

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2+
**Part of speech:** noun
**IPA (US):** /ˈæŋkʃəsnəs/
**IPA (UK):** /ˈaŋkʃəsnəs/

## Meanings
1. the state of being uneasy or worried; nervous apprehension

## Examples
- A faint anxiousness crept over her as the interview drew near.

## Synonyms
- anxiety
- unease
- worry
- apprehension
- nervousness
- disquiet

## Antonyms
- calmness
- composure
- serenity
- ease

## Related Forms
- anxious
- anxiety
- anguish

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: anxius
- Root: *h₂enǵʰ-

## Etymology
From anxious + -ness, from Latin anxius ('troubled, distressed'), from angere ('to choke, cause distress'), from Proto-Indo-European *h₂enǵʰ- ('tight, painfully constricted').

## AI Etymology
anxiousness comes from anxious + -ness, from Latin anxius ('troubled, distressed'), from angere ('to choke, cause distress'), from Proto-Indo-European *h₂enǵʰ- ('tight, painfully constricted'). Morphologically, the word is transparent: -ness is attached to the older base named in the history, so the modern form packages an inherited or borrowed stem inside a later English derivative. In modern use, the noun sense is "the state of being uneasy or worried; nervous apprehension", which keeps the etymology connected to the word's present dictionary value rather than treating it as a merely historical label. The wider word family includes related English forms such as anxious, anxiety, anguish, showing how the same base continues to support neighboring English vocabulary. The principal historical forms in the chain include Latin anxius, Proto-Indo-European *h₂enǵʰ-, which anchor the explanation in named linguistic material.

## Topics
- Abstract Ideas
- Word Formation & Derivatives

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