anxious
anxious Lexical Profile
anxious Game Scores & Validity
• adjective
Experiencing worry, unease, or nervousness, typically about an imminent event or something with an uncertain outcome.
"She felt increasingly anxious as she waited for the medical test results."
Wanting something very much, typically with a degree of unease or impatience.
"The committee is anxious to avoid any further delays in the construction schedule."
Characterized by, resulting from, or causing extreme uneasiness and tension.
"The passengers endured several anxious hours while the plane was delayed on the tarmac."
Word Nuance & Usage
While 'anxious' and 'eager' both express a strong desire for something to happen, 'anxious' traditionally carries an underlying sense of worry or unease about the outcome, whereas 'eager' conveys purely positive excitement.
• Rhymes for anxious
Word Origin & Etymology
Borrowed in the early 17th century from Latin 'anxius' (uneasy or troubled in mind), derived from the verb 'angere' meaning 'to choke or squeeze'.