- feeling worried or nervous
- The bus was late and Sue began to get anxious.
- anxious about something I felt very anxious and depressed about the future.
- He seemed anxious about the meeting.
- anxious for somebody Parents are naturally anxious for their children.
Synonyms worriedworriedconcerned ▪ nervous ▪ anxious ▪ uneasyThese words all describe feeling unhappy and afraid because you are thinking about unpleasant things that might happen or might have happened.worried thinking about unpleasant things that might happen or might have happened and therefore feeling unhappy and afraidconcerned worried and feeling concern about something worried or concerned?Concerned is usually used when you are talking about a problem that affects another person, society, the world, etc., while worried can be used for this or for more personal matters.nervous feeling worried about something or slightly afraid of somethinganxious feeling worried or nervous about something worried, nervous or anxious?Worried is the most frequent word to describe how you feel when you are thinking about a problem or something bad that might happen. Anxious can describe a stronger feeling and is more formal. Nervous is more often used to describe how you feel before you do something very important such as an exam or an interview, or something unpleasant or difficult. Nervous can describe somebody’s personality: a very nervous girl is often or usually nervous; a worried girl is worried on a particular occasion or about a particular thing. Worried describes her feelings, not her personality. Anxious may describe feelings or personality.uneasy feeling worried or unhappy about a particular situation, especially because you think something bad may happen or because you are not sure that what you are doing is rightPatterns- worried/concerned/nervous/anxious/uneasy about (doing) something
- worried/concerned/anxious for somebody/something
- worried/concerned/nervous/anxious that…
- a(n) worried/concerned/nervous/anxious/uneasy expression/look/smile
- to get worried/nervous/anxious
Extra ExamplesTopics Feelingsb2- She was watching the clock and becoming increasingly anxious.
- The delays only made him more anxious.
- I'm becoming very anxious about my son.
- Students are understandably anxious about getting work after graduation.
- There's no need to get unduly anxious on my account.
- We are extremely anxious for her safety.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryverbs- appear
- be
- feel
- …
- extremely
- fairly
- very
- …
- about
- for
- causing worry; showing worry
- The family faces another anxious wait for news.
- There were a few anxious moments in the baseball game.
- an anxious look/face/expression
- wanting something very much
- anxious to do something She was anxious to finish school and get a job.
- He was anxious not to be misunderstood.
- anxious for something There are plenty of graduates anxious for work.
- anxious for somebody to do something I'm anxious for her to do as little as possible.
- anxious that… He walked quickly down the road, anxious that he should not be late.
Extra Examples- He seemed anxious to return to more familiar ground.
- She was anxious to get the whole thing over with.
- They were anxious to avoid any repeat of the incident.
- Polly became anxious to see her father and her friends.
Word Originearly 17th cent.: from Latin anxius (from angere ‘to choke’) + -ous.
Check pronunciation:
anxious