anx ‧ ious S3 W3 /ˈæŋkʃəs/ BrE AmE adjective
[ Date: 1600-1700 ; Language: Latin ; Origin: anxius ]
1 . worried about something
anxious about
He was a bit anxious about the safety of the machinery.
anxious for
We were anxious for you.
She gave me an anxious look.
anxious (that)
She was anxious that it might be cancer.
2 . an anxious time or situation is one in which you feel nervous or worried SYN worrying :
We had an anxious couple of weeks waiting for the test results.
There was an anxious moment when the plane suddenly dropped.
3 . feeling strongly that you want to do something or want something to happen SYN keen
anxious to do something
The company is anxious to improve its image.
He seemed most anxious to speak to me alone.
The president is anxious not to have another crisis.
anxious for somebody to do something
Why was she so anxious for me to stay?
anxious for
We were all anxious for news.
anxious (that)
Both sides were anxious that the agreement should be signed as quickly as possible.
—anxiously adverb :
She waited anxiously by the phone.
• • •
THESAURUS
▪ worried not feeling happy or relaxed because you keep thinking about a problem or something bad that might happen:
I was worried that you had forgotten our date.
|
It’s awful if you are worried about money.
|
I was so worried that I couldn’t sleep at all.
▪ anxious worried because you think something bad might happen or has happened. Anxious is more formal than worried , and is often used about a general feeling of worry, when you are not sure what has happened:
A lot of employees are anxious about their jobs.
|
Anxious relatives waited for news.
▪ nervous worried or frightened about something you are going to do or experience, and unable to relax:
Everyone feels nervous before an exam.
|
The thought of going into hospital was making me nervous.
▪ uneasy a little worried because you feel there may be something wrong and you are not sure what is going to happen:
When she still wasn’t home by midnight, I began to feel uneasy.
|
The total silence was making me feel uneasy.
▪ concerned formal worried, usually about a problem affecting someone else or affecting the country or the world:
Many people are concerned about the current economic situation.
|
Police say that they are concerned for the safety of the missing girl.
▪ bothered [not before noun] worried by something that happens – often used in negative sentences:
She didn’t seem particularly bothered by the news.
▪ troubled very worried, so that you think about something a lot:
She fell into a troubled sleep.
|
a troubled expression
|
‘Are you okay, Ben? You look troubled.’
▪ apprehensive especially written a little worried about something you are going to do, or about the future, because you are not sure what it will be like:
I felt a bit apprehensive about seeing him again after so long.
▪ stressed (out) informal very worried and tired because of problems, too much work etc, and unable to relax or enjoy life:
He’d been working ten hours a day for ages and was stressed out.
|
an extremely stressed single mother