Anxious \Anx"ious\ ([a^][ng]k"sh[u^]s), a. [L. anxius, fr.
angere to cause pain, choke; akin to Gr. 'a`gchein to choke.
See Anger.]
1. Full of anxiety or disquietude; greatly concerned or
solicitous, esp. respecting something future or unknown;
being in painful suspense; -- applied to persons; as,
anxious for the issue of a battle.
[1913 Webster]
2. Accompanied with, or causing, anxiety; worrying; --
applied to things; as, anxious labor.
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The sweet of life, from which
God hath bid dwell far off all anxious cares.
--Milton.
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3. Earnestly desirous; as, anxious to please.
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He sneers alike at those who are anxious to preserve
and at those who are eager for reform. --Macaulay.
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Note: Anxious is followed by for, about, concerning, etc.,
before the object of solicitude.
[1913 Webster]
Syn: Solicitous; careful; uneasy; unquiet; restless;
concerned; disturbed; watchful.
[1913 Webster]
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48
anxious
adj 1: mentally upset over possible misfortune or danger etc;
worried; "anxious parents"; "anxious about her job";
"not used to a city and anxious about small things";
"felt apprehensive about the consequences" [syn: apprehensive]
2: eagerly desirous; "anxious to see the new show at the
museum"; "dying to hear who won" [syn: anxious(p), dying(p)]
3: causing or fraught with or showing anxiety; "spent an
anxious night waiting for the test results"; "cast anxious
glances behind her"; "those nervous moments before
takeoff"; "an unquiet mind" [syn: nervous, uneasy, unquiet]
WordNet (r) 2.0
135 Moby Thesaurus words for "anxious":
aching, aghast, agitated, agog, alacritous, alarmed, all agog,
all-overish, anguished, animated, annoyed, antsy, antsy-pantsy,
anxioused up, apprehensive, ardent, athirst, avid, beset, bored,
bothered, breathless, bursting to, careful, cautious, chafing,
cheerless, concerned, depressed, desirous, disgusted, disquieted,
distressed, disturbed, eager, edgy, embarrassed, enthusiastic,
excited, fearful, foreboding, forward, fretful, fretting,
frightened, full of life, grim, harassed, hasty, hopped-up,
ill at ease, impatient, impetuous, importunate, in a lather,
in a pucker, in a stew, in a sweat, in suspense, inconvenienced,
irked, jittery, joyless, keen, keyed-up, lively, longing,
misgiving, nauseated, nauseous, nervous, on edge, on tenterhooks,
on tiptoe, overanxious, overapprehensive, panting, perturbed,
plagued, pleasureless, pressing, prey to malaise, prompt,
put to it, puzzled, qualmish, qualmy, quick, quivering, raring to,
ready, ready and willing, repelled, restive, restless, revolted,
sad, scared, scary, sickened, solicitous, sore beset, spirited,
squirming, squirmy, strained, suffering angst, suspenseful, taut,
tense, terrified, thirsty, troubled, uncertain, uneasy,
unfulfilled, ungratified, unhappy, unpatient, unquiet, unsatisfied,
upset, urgent, vexed, vital, vivacious, vivid, wary, watchful,
with bated breath, with muscles tense, worried, yearning, zealous,
zestful
Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0
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