angst

[ahngkst, angst] /ɑŋkst, æŋst/
noun
1.
a feeling of dread, anxiety, or anguish.
Origin
1840-50; < German Angst fear, anxiety, Old High German angust (cognate with Middle Low German angest, Middle Dutch anxt), equivalent to ang- (akin to eng narrow, constricted) + -st abstract nominal suffix, perhaps a conglomerate of a suffix *-os- + *-ti- suffix forming abstracts
Related forms
angsty, adjective, angstier, angstiest.
Examples from the web for angst
  • He's just a man on a mission, with no angst, dark impulses or other trendy problems.
  • The plot is thin, but the story's quick pace and believable portrayal of third grade angst will appeal to the chapter book set.
  • Why they're worth watching: Bombastic, slicked-up guitar rock with teen-angst overtones is bound to appeal to the tween set.
  • Seriously, your crush is not worth the existential angst.
  • Johnson says she hopes her athletic training offsets any dance angst.
  • It's not worth the time or potetional angst.
  • The tragic climax, when it comes at last, is lost amid the general angst suffered continuously by all.
  • In this era of college-admissions angst, seemingly everyone has an opinion about the process.
  • It's both an exciting and angst-producing time to be a high-energy particle physicist.
  • During my teenage angst years, I argued that friendships were more reliable than family because friendships are voluntary.
British Dictionary definitions for angst

angst

/æŋst; German aŋst/
noun
1.
an acute but nonspecific sense of anxiety or remorse
2.
(in Existentialist philosophy) the dread caused by man's awareness that his future is not determined but must be freely chosen
Word Origin
German
Word Origin and History for angst
n.

1944, from German Angst "neurotic fear, anxiety, guilt, remorse," from Old High German angust, from the root of anger. George Eliot used it (in German) in 1849, and it was popularized in English by translation of Freud's work, but as a foreign word until 1940s. Old English had a cognate word, angsumnes "anxiety," but it died out.

angst in Medicine

angst 1 (ängkst)
n.
A feeling of anxiety or apprehension often accompanied by depression.

angst 2
abbr.
angstrom

angst in Culture
angst [(ahngkst)]

A kind of fear or anxiety; Angst is German for “fear.” It is usually applied to a deep and essentially philosophical anxiety about the world in general or personal freedom. (See existentialism.)

Related Abbreviations for angst

angst

angstrom