anxious

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anxious

/ˈæŋkʃəs/ Australia, UK
/ˈaŋkʃəs/ British, Northern England, Scotland
/ˈɛŋkʃəs/ New Zealand
/ˈæŋkʃəs/ US
/ˈeɪŋkʃəs/ US
/ˈæŋkʃəs/
[ˈæŋkʃəs]
/ˈæŋkʃəs/ Southern US
[ˈæŋkʃəs] ~ [ˈæə̯ŋ-] ~ [ˈɛə̯ŋ-] Southern US
/ˈæŋkʃəs/ Inland Northern American
[ˈɛə̯ŋkʃəs] Inland Northern American
/ˈeɪŋkʃəs/
[ˈeɪ̯ŋkʃəs] ~ [ˈeːŋ-]
/ˈæŋ-/
[ˈeɪŋkʃəs] ~ [ˈɛːŋ-] ~ [ˈæŋ-]

Rhymes with -æŋkʃəs

Where it comes from

Borrowed from Latin anxius, from angō (“to cause pain, choke”); akin to Ancient Greek ἄγχω (ánkhō, “to choke”). See anger; angst. The suffix has been influenced by unrelated -ous.

adjective more anxious · anxiouser · most anxious · anxiousest · anctious

Nervous and worried.
Similar: uneasy, worrisome, unquiet, concerned, fraught
Having a feeling of anxiety or disquietude; extremely concerned, especially about something that will happen in the future or that is unknown. She was anxious to hear how her test results were.
Similar: angstful, disturbed, restless, solicitous, worrisome
of things Accompanied with, or causing, anxiety; worrying. anxious labor
Similar: restless, uneasy, worrisome, unquiet, nerve-wracking
Earnestly desirous. He is anxious to please, so you can count on him.
Similar: restless, solicitous

Thesaurus

Closest in meaning: troubled, apprehensive, unquiet, uneasy, eager, dying, nervous, edgy, worrying, worried, distressed, jumpy, restless, impatient, upset, frightened

Translations

Every language

adj nervous and worried

Español	incómodo
中文	緊張 /紧张 jǐnzhāng
हिन्दी	चिंतित cintit
Português	desconfortável
Français	inquiet
Deutsch	ängstlich, besorgt, nervös, verängstigt, bange, bang
Italiano	inquieto
العربية	قَلِق qaliq, قَلِقَة qaliqa

adj having a feeling of anxiety or disquietude; extremely concerned, especially about something that will happen in the future or that is unknown

Español	ansioso, inquieto
日本語	心配した shinpai shita
中文	焦慮 /焦虑 jiāolǜ, 担心 dānxīn
हिन्दी	चिंतित cintit
Português	ansioso
Français	anxieux
Deutsch	erregt, angespannt, verunsichert, besorgt, nervös, gespannt
Italiano	ansioso
Ελληνικά	αγχώδης anchódis, αγχωμένος anchoménos
Română	anxios, neliniștit, îngrijorat
Русский	озабо́ченный ozabóčennyj, беспоко́ящийся bespokójaščijsja, встрево́женный vstrevóžennyj
Tiếng Việt	nao
العربية	قَلِق qaliq, قَلِقَة qaliqa
עברית	חָרֵד charéd

adj of things: accompanied with, or causing, anxiety; worrying

Português	ansioso, receoso
Français	préoccupant
Italiano	preoccupante
Ελληνικά	αγχώδης anchódis
Română	îngrijorat, neliniștit
العربية	قَلِق qaliq, قَلِقَة qaliqa

adj earnestly desirous

Español	ansioso, deseoso
Português	ansioso
Français	désireux
Deutsch	begierig, erpicht, bemüht, bedacht auf
Italiano	ansioso, bramoso, impaziente
Ελληνικά	ανυπόμονος anypómonos
Română	nerăbdător, doritor
Русский	стремя́щийся stremjáščijsja

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MLA

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

APA

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

Chicago

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

BibTeX

@misc{anxious_2026,
  title = {anxious},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/anxious},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}