anxiety Meaning, Definition & Usage

  1. noun (psychiatry) a relatively permanent state of worry and nervousness occurring in a variety of mental disorders, usually accompanied by compulsive behavior or attacks of panic
    anxiousness.
  2. noun a vague unpleasant emotion that is experienced in anticipation of some (usually ill-defined) misfortune

WordNet

Anx*i"e*ty noun
Etymology
L. anxietas, fr. anxius: cf. F. anxiété. See Anxious.
Wordforms
plural Anxieties
Definitions
  1. Concern or solicitude respecting some thing ovent, future or uncertain, which disturbs the mind, and keeps it in a state of painful uneasiness.
  2. Eager desire. J. D. Forbes
  3. (Med.) A state of restlessness and agitation, often with general indisposition and a distressing sense of oppression at the epigastrium. Dunglison. Syn. -- Care; solicitude; foreboding; uneasiness; perplexity; disquietude; disquiet; trouble; apprehension; restlessness. See Care.

Webster 1913