anxious

anxious — adjective

1. feeling tense and uneasy because you are thinking about a possible problem, dang

1.adjectiveB1
Definition

feeling tense and uneasy because you are thinking about a possible problem, danger, or unpleasant outcome ahead.

Example

Jamal felt anxious about his job interview at the bank on Monday morning.

anxious about + noun for naming the worry source

Dimitri grew increasingly anxious as the doctor read through his test results.

Common collocations
  • anxious about
  • anxious moment
  • anxious wait
  • increasingly anxious
  • deeply anxious
Synonyms
  • worried

    more everyday and slightly less intense

  • nervous

    often about a specific upcoming moment

  • uneasy

    milder; vague sense of something being wrong

  • apprehensive

    more formal; fear of what may happen next

Antonyms
  • calm

    feeling no worry or tension

  • relaxed

    free from stress about the situation

Grammar Patterns

anxious about + noun/-ing

anxious that + clause

Usage Note

Subject is usually a person or a group; the worry source is typically a future event or its outcome. Distinguish from sense 3 (EAGER), which takes 'to + infinitive' and expresses positive desire rather than fear.

Common Mistakes

I am anxious for the meeting tomorrow.
I am anxious about the meeting tomorrow.
use 'about' for the source of worry; 'for' suggests eagerness instead.
She felt anxious of the noise outside.
She felt anxious about the noise outside.
'anxious' takes 'about', not 'of'.

2. describing a moment, time, or expression that is full of worry — either making p

2.adjectiveB2
Definition

describing a moment, time, or expression that is full of worry — either making people feel that worry or showing it on their faces.

Example

The hours after the earthquake were an anxious time for everyone in the village.

attributive: anxious + time period

Mrs. Pia shot an anxious look at the clock as the school bus failed to arrive.

collocation: anxious look / glance

Common collocations
  • anxious moment
  • anxious time
  • anxious look
  • anxious wait
  • anxious expression
Synonyms
  • worrying

    describes events that produce worry; very close in meaning

  • tense

    stresses high pressure in the atmosphere

  • nerve-racking

    stronger; emphasises strain on the nerves

Antonyms

Grammar Patterns

anxious + noun (moment / time / wait / look)

Usage Note

Almost always used before a noun naming a stretch of time, a facial expression, or a sound. Distinguish from sense 1: here the moment or face is anxious, not the person experiencing the feeling directly.

Common Mistakes

He is an anxious person about the news.
He has an anxious look about the news.
this sense modifies a thing (look, moment), not the person.

3. wanting something to happen, or wanting to do something, very strongly — often b

3.adjectiveB2
Definition

wanting something to happen, or wanting to do something, very strongly — often because you care about the result.

Example

Hiroshi was anxious to finish his thesis before his daughter started kindergarten.

anxious + to-infinitive expressing strong desire

The mayor is anxious that every family receives clean water by next summer.

anxious + that-clause

Common collocations
  • anxious to please
  • anxious to know
  • anxious to avoid
  • anxious for news
  • anxious that
Synonyms
  • eager

    lighter and more positive in tone

  • keen

    common in British English; often less urgent

  • impatient

    stresses unwillingness to wait

Antonyms

Grammar Patterns

anxious to + infinitive

anxious that + clause

anxious for + noun

Usage Note

Only sense that takes a to-infinitive or 'for + noun'. The desire is usually serious or important to the speaker, not casual. Distinguish from sense 1: 'anxious about' = worried; 'anxious to' = eager.

Common Mistakes

I am anxious about meeting the new team.' (when meaning eager)
I am anxious to meet the new team.
use 'to + verb' for eagerness; 'about + noun' suggests fear.
She was anxious for go home.
She was anxious to go home.
use 'to + base verb', not 'for + base verb'.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

All five words describe an unpleasant feeling about something that might go wrong, but they sit at different points on the scale. 'Worried' is the most everyday and broadest — you can be worried about anything from a missing key to a serious illness. 'Anxious' is a step stronger and more inward; it suggests the worry is hard to shake off and may affect how the body feels. 'Nervous' usually points to one specific upcoming moment, like a speech or a flight, and fades once that moment passes. 'Uneasy' is milder and vaguer — you sense that something is not right without knowing exactly what. 'Apprehensive' is the most formal of the group and stresses fear of what is about to happen. Compare: 'I'm worried about my dad' (general concern), 'I'm anxious about my dad' (steady, troubling worry), 'I'm nervous about meeting my dad's boss' (one-off event).

anxious ↗worried ↗nervous ↗uneasyapprehensive

Common collocations

Nouns

  • anxious moment
  • anxious time
  • anxious wait
  • anxious look
  • anxious parent

Adverbs

  • increasingly anxious
  • deeply anxious
  • extremely anxious
  • a little anxious
  • understandably anxious

Phrases

  • anxious to please
  • anxious to know
  • anxious to avoid

Prepositions

  • anxious about
  • anxious for
  • anxious over

Etymology

LatinEnglish

English borrowed 'anxious' in the early 1600s from Latin 'anxius', meaning troubled in mind, which itself came from the verb 'angere' — to choke, squeeze, or cause pain. The same root is behind 'anguish' and 'anger', and the image of a tight feeling in the chest still fits how we describe anxiety today. The 'eager to do something' meaning grew later, in the 1700s, perhaps because intense wanting and intense worry can feel similar inside the body.