anxiety

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anxiety

/æŋˈzaɪ.əti/ UK
/aŋˈzɑjətɪj/ British, Southern, Standard
/æːŋˈzɑe.əti/ Australia
[æːŋˈzɑe.əɾi] ~ [ɛːŋ-] ~ [eːŋ-] Australia
/ɛŋˈzɑe.əti/ New Zealand
[ɛŋˈzɑe.əɾi] New Zealand
/æŋˈzaɪ.əti/ US
/eɪŋˈzaɪ.əti/ US
/æŋˈzaɪ.əti/
[æŋˈzaɪ.əɾi]
/æŋˈzaɪ.əti/ Southern US
[æŋˈzaɪ.əɾi] ~ [æə̯ŋ-] ~ [ɛə̯ŋ-] Southern US
/æŋˈzaɪ.əti/ Inland Northern American
[ɛŋˈzaɪ.əɾi] Inland Northern American
/eɪŋˈzaɪ.əti/
[eɪ̯ŋˈzaɪ.əɾi] ~ [eːŋ-]
/ˈæŋ-/
[eɪŋˈzaɪ.əɾi] ~ [ɛːŋ-] ~ [æŋ-]

Rhymes with -aɪəti

Where it comes from

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

noun anxieties · anxietie

countable, uncountable An unpleasant state of mental uneasiness, nervousness, apprehension and obsession or concern about some uncertain event. generalized anxiety disorder
countable, uncountable An uneasy or distressing desire (for something). Endeavor (to please).
countable, uncountable A state of restlessness and agitation, often accompanied by a distressing sense of oppression or tightness in the stomach.
countable, informal, uncountable Any anxiety disorder, especially generalized anxiety disorder. My anxiety is a part of me, one that I’ve had to learn to deal with.

Thesaurus

Closest in meaning: anxiousness, worried, fear, horror, restlessness, nervousness, distress, trepidation, uneasiness, scared, afraid, worry, unease, disquiet, discomfort, frustration

noun

Translations

Every language

noun state of uneasiness, nervousness, apprehension and obsession

हिन्दी	व्याकुलता vyākultā, आकुलता ākultā
Deutsch	Unbehagen, Nervosität, Angst, Ängstlichkeit, Anspannung, Unruhe

noun concern

Español	zozobra, ansiedad
한국어	걱정 geokjeong, 불안 buran
日本語	心配 shinpai, 不安 fuan
中文	焦慮 /焦虑 jiāolǜ, 担心 dānxīn
हिन्दी	चिंता cintā, परेशानी pareśānī
Português	angústia, ansiedade
Français	anxiété, inquiétude
Deutsch	Besorgnis, Angst, Sorge, Bangnis, Furcht
Italiano	ansia, ansietà
Ελληνικά	άγχος ánchos, έγνοια égnoia, ανησυχία anisychía
Română	anxietate
Русский	беспоко́йство bespokójstvo, трево́га trevóga
Tiếng Việt	sự lo lắng, lo âu
العربية	قَلَق qalaq
עברית	חֲרָדָה kharadá

noun uneasy or distressing desire

Español	inquietud
한국어	열망 yeolmang
Português	anseio
Deutsch	Bemühen, Bestreben
Italiano	ansia, bramosia
Ελληνικά	επιθυμία epithymía
Русский	жела́ние

noun pathological condition

Español	ansiedad
한국어	불안 buran
Português	ansiedade
Français	anxiété, angoisse
Deutsch	Angst, Angstzustände, Ängstlichkeit, Anspannung, Unruhe, innere Unruhe
Italiano	ansia
Ελληνικά	άγχος ánchos
Română	anxietate, teamă
Русский	страх strax, боя́знь bojáznʹ
Tiếng Việt	lo âu
العربية	قَلَق qalaq, اِضْطِرَاب الْقَلَق iḍṭirāb al-qalaq
עברית	חֲרָדָה kharadá

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Cite this

MLA

"anxiety." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/anxiety. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

anxiety. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/anxiety

Chicago

"anxiety." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/anxiety.

BibTeX

@misc{anxiety_2026,
  title = {anxiety},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/anxiety},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}