anxious
[ angk-shuhs, ang- ]
/ ˈæŋk ʃəs, ˈæŋ- /
adjective
full of mental distress or uneasiness because of fear of danger or misfortune; greatly worried; solicitous: Her parents were anxious about her poor health.
earnestly desirous; eager (usually followed by an infinitive or for): anxious to please; anxious for our happiness.
attended with or showing solicitude or uneasiness: anxious forebodings.
Origin of anxious
SYNONYMS FOR anxious
ANTONYMS FOR anxious
usage note for anxious
The earliest sense of
anxious (in the 17th century) was “troubled” or “worried”:
We are still anxious for the safety of our dear sons in battle. Its meaning “earnestly desirous, eager” arose in the mid-18th century:
We are anxious to see our new grandson. Some insist that
anxious must always convey a sense of distress or worry and object to its use in the sense of “eager,” but such use is fully standard.
OTHER WORDS FROM anxious
Words nearby anxious
Example sentences from the Web for anxiously
British Dictionary definitions for anxiously
anxious
/ (ˈæŋkʃəs, ˈæŋʃəs) /
adjective
worried and tense because of possible misfortune, danger, etc; uneasy
fraught with or causing anxiety; worrying; distressing
an anxious time
intensely desirous; eager
anxious for promotion
Derived forms of anxious
anxiously, adverb anxiousness, nounWord Origin for anxious
C17: from Latin
anxius; related to Latin
angere to torment; see
anger,
anguish