anxiety

anxiety — noun

1. an unpleasant feeling of being nervous and unable to relax, because you are worr

1.nounB2
Definition

an unpleasant feeling of being nervous and unable to relax, because you are worried about a present problem or a possible future one.

Example

Mira felt deep anxiety the night before her driving test.

anxiety + before + [event]

Her parents' constant arguing filled the house with anxiety.

Common collocations
  • deep anxiety
  • feel anxiety
  • cause anxiety
  • growing anxiety
  • widespread anxiety
Synonyms
  • worry

    more everyday and less intense than 'anxiety'

  • nervousness

    shorter-lived and tied to a specific event

  • unease

    milder; suggests vague discomfort rather than active worry

Antonyms
  • calm

    complete absence of worry or tension

  • reassurance

    the feeling that replaces anxiety after comfort is given

Grammar Patterns

anxiety about + noun

anxiety over + noun

Usage Note

Subject is usually a person or group; the source of worry is introduced with 'about' or 'over'. Distinguish from sense 3 (the medical condition): sense 1 is a normal short-term feeling, not a diagnosed illness.

Common Mistakes

I have anxiety for the exam tomorrow.
I have anxiety about the exam tomorrow.
use 'about' or 'over' for the worry's topic, not 'for'.
She felt many anxieties.' (when meaning general worry)
She felt a lot of anxiety.
uncountable in this sense; 'anxieties' belongs to sense 2.

2. a particular thing, problem, or thought that makes a person worried, often liste

2.nounC1
Definition

a particular thing, problem, or thought that makes a person worried, often listed as one of several such concerns.

Example

Money was the family's biggest anxiety after Dad lost his job.

[possessive] + biggest + anxiety

Mateo shared his anxieties about moving abroad with her sister.

plural anxieties + about

Common collocations
  • main anxieties
  • share one's anxieties
  • biggest anxiety
  • list anxieties
Synonyms
  • concern

    neutral; does not imply strong fear

  • worry

    everyday word for the same idea, slightly less formal

Grammar Patterns

[possessive] + anxieties

anxieties about + noun

Usage Note

Countable, often plural. Refers to specific topics that cause worry, not the feeling itself. If you can replace it with 'a worry' or 'worries' and the sentence still makes sense, this is the right sense.

Common Mistakes

My anxiety are about money and health.
My anxieties are about money and health.
when listing specific worries, use the plural form.

3. a mental health problem in which a person feels frightened or worried much of th

3.nounC1
Definition

a mental health problem in which a person feels frightened or worried much of the time, often with body symptoms such as a fast heartbeat, sweating, or trouble sleeping.

Example

Dr. Leila has treated patients with anxiety for over twenty years.

treat + anxiety (medical)

After the accident, Hannah developed severe anxiety and could not drive.

develop + severe + anxiety

Common collocations
  • suffer from anxiety
  • severe anxiety
  • treat anxiety
  • manage anxiety
  • anxiety attack
Synonyms

Grammar Patterns

suffer from anxiety

treat anxiety

Usage Note

Distinguish from sense 1: this is a clinical condition diagnosed by a doctor, not a passing feeling. Often appears with verbs like 'suffer from', 'treat', 'manage', and is the sense used in compounds like 'anxiety disorder' and 'anxiety attack'.

Common Mistakes

He has the anxiety.
He has anxiety.
no article when referring to the condition in general.
She was diagnosed with anxieties.
She was diagnosed with anxiety.
the medical condition is uncountable; 'anxieties' belongs to sense 2.

4. a strong, tense wish to do something or get a particular result, that makes you

4.nounC1
Definition

a strong, tense wish to do something or get a particular result, that makes you hurry or try too hard.

Example

In her anxiety to please her boss, Priya rewrote the report four times.

in + [poss] + anxiety + to-infinitive

The young coach showed real anxiety to prove himself before the season.

anxiety + to-infinitive

Common collocations
  • anxiety to please
  • anxiety to prove
  • in one's anxiety to
Synonyms
  • eagerness

    purely positive; lacks the tense, worried edge of 'anxiety'

  • keenness

    British, neutral; no suggestion of stress

Antonyms
  • reluctance

    the opposite — wanting NOT to do something

Grammar Patterns

anxiety to + verb

in one's anxiety to + verb

Usage Note

Only sense that takes a to-infinitive. The eagerness here is mixed with worry — the person wants something so much that they feel tense. Often appears in the formal pattern 'in one's anxiety to do something'.

Common Mistakes

He had anxiety for winning the race.
He had an anxiety to win the race.
this sense uses a to-infinitive, not 'for' + gerund.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

All five words describe the unpleasant feeling of expecting something bad, but they differ in intensity, duration, and register. 'Worry' is the everyday word and the broadest — you can worry about small things like a late train. 'Anxiety' is stronger and lasts longer; it suggests the worry has settled into the body and is hard to shake off. 'Nervousness' is short and event-tied — you feel it before a presentation, and it disappears once the event is over. 'Unease' is mild and vague; you know something feels wrong but cannot say why. 'Apprehension' is more formal and describes a specific fear of what is coming next, such as the apprehension a candidate feels before opening exam results.

anxiety ↗worry ↗nervousnessuneaseapprehension ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

  • anxiety attack
  • anxiety disorder
  • anxiety levels
  • source of anxiety

Adverbs

Phrases

  • cause anxiety
  • feel anxiety
  • suffer from anxiety
  • ease someone's anxiety
  • relieve anxiety

Prepositions

Etymology

LatinEnglish

'Anxiety' came into English in the 1500s from Latin 'anxietas', meaning 'a state of being troubled in mind'. The Latin noun was built on the verb 'angere', which meant 'to choke, squeeze, or cause pain' — the same root that gave English 'anguish' and 'angst'. The early sense kept this physical idea: anxiety felt like something tightening in the chest. From the 1600s onward, the word broadened from a vague mental discomfort to today's two main meanings — a strong worry about the future, and the medical condition.