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anxiety
/æŋˈzaɪ.ə.ti/
feeling of worry
She felt a wave of anxiety before her job interview.
She experienced intense nervousness about her upcoming interview.
formal
a feeling of worry, nervousness, or unease about something with an uncertain outcome
The doctor diagnosed him with generalized anxiety disorder.
The doctor identified his chronic excessive worrying as a medical condition.
He couldn't sleep due to mounting anxiety about the presentation.
His stress about giving the speech kept him awake at night.
Often used in psychological contexts to describe persistent excessive worry.
formal
strong desire or concern to do something or for something to happen
Her anxiety to succeed drove her to work overtime every day.
Her intense desire for achievement motivated her to work long hours.
Less common usage, typically in formal writing.
Collocations
generalized anxietychronic excessive worrying without specific causesocial anxietyfear of social situations and interactionsperformance anxietynervousness about performing tasks in front of otherssuffer from anxietyexperience persistent nervousnesstrigger anxietycause feelings of worry or unease
Related Phrases
Pro Tip
Distinguishing anxiety from fear
Anxiety focuses on future events with uncertain outcomes, while fear is a response to immediate real threats. For example, fearing a lion in the room is fear; worrying about encountering a lion on your next safari is anxiety.
Gold Rule
When to use 'anxiety' vs 'stress'
Use 'anxiety' for persistent, often unfocused worry about future events. Use 'stress' for pressure or tension from external demands. Anxiety is more internal and future-oriented; stress is often external and present-focused.
Word Origin
From Latin 'anxietas' (anxiety), from 'anxius' (anxious), related to 'angere' (to choke, strangle). The word entered English in the 16th century with the same core meaning of distress or concern.
Usage Notes
Anxiety is a normal human emotion, but becomes a medical concern when excessive or persistent. In psychology, it's distinguished from fear (response to real threat) by focusing on anticipated future threats. The word often appears in compound terms like 'test anxiety' or 'separation anxiety'.
Word Breakdown
anx-
from Latin 'angere' meaning 'to choke'
root-iety
suffix forming abstract nouns from adjectives
suffixEnglish Dictionary