anxious

[angk-shuh s, ang-] /ˈæŋk ʃəs, ˈæŋ-/
adjective
1.
full of mental distress or uneasiness because of fear of danger or misfortune; greatly worried; solicitous:
Her parents were anxious about her poor health.
2.
earnestly desirous; eager (usually followed by an infinitive or for):
anxious to please; anxious for our happiness.
3.
attended with or showing solicitude or uneasiness:
anxious forebodings.
Origin
1615-25; < Latin anxius worried, distressed, derivative of angere to strangle, pain, distress; cf. anguish, -ous
Related forms
anxiously, adverb
anxiousness, noun
quasi-anxious, adjective
quasi-anxiously, adverb
unanxious, adjective
unanxiously, adverb
unanxiousness, noun
Synonyms
1. concerned, disturbed, apprehensive, fearful, uneasy.
Antonyms
1. calm, confident. 2. reluctant, hesitant.
Usage note
The earliest sense of anxious (in the 17th century) was “troubled” or “worried”: We are still anxious for the safety of our dear sons in battle. Its meaning “earnestly desirous, eager” arose in the mid-18th century: We are anxious to see our new grandson. Some insist that anxious must always convey a sense of distress or worry and object to its use in the sense of “eager,” but such use is fully standard.
Examples from the web for anxious
  • Tense and anxious, he always carried a penknife and smoked hashish and pot with great frequency.
  • Me and my best buddy are anxious to try our hand at rock climbing.
  • The result is anxious, unruly children who run their apologetic parents ragged.
  • It causes people to feel anxious and afraid and out of control.
  • For several miles, we tear uphill on an empty, curvy road faster than this anxious parent would like.
  • Tech enthusiasts were anxious to get their hands on the fabled $100 laptop.
  • I'll admit I'm getting kind of anxious now that the date's closing in.
  • At long last, an anxious year of applications and interviews was over.
  • Counting sheep helps an anxious student with his assignment.
  • I'm anxious to go to practice.
British Dictionary definitions for anxious

anxious

/ˈæŋkʃəs; ˈæŋʃəs/
adjective
1.
worried and tense because of possible misfortune, danger, etc; uneasy
2.
fraught with or causing anxiety; worrying; distressing: an anxious time
3.
intensely desirous; eager: anxious for promotion
Derived Forms
anxiously, adverb
anxiousness, noun
Word Origin
C17: from Latin anxius; related to Latin angere to torment; see anger, anguish
Word Origin and History for anxious
adj.

1620s, from Latin anxius "solicitous, uneasy, troubled in mind" (also "causing anxiety, troublesome"), from angere, anguere "choke, squeeze," figuratively "torment, cause distress" (see anger (v.)). The same image is in Serbo-Croatian tjeskoba "anxiety," literally "tightness, narrowness." Related: Anxiously; anxiousness.