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Synonym Chooser

How is the word anxious distinct from other similar adjectives?

Some common synonyms of anxious are athirst, avid, eager, and keen. While all these words mean "moved by a strong and urgent desire or interest," anxious emphasizes fear of frustration or failure or disappointment.

anxious not to make a social blunder

When would athirst be a good substitute for anxious?

Although the words athirst and anxious have much in common, athirst stresses yearning but not necessarily readiness for action.

athirst for adventure

How do avid and eager relate to one another, in the sense of anxious?

Avid adds to eager the implication of insatiability or greed.

avid for new thrills

When is eager a more appropriate choice than anxious?

The synonyms eager and anxious are sometimes interchangeable, but eager implies ardor and enthusiasm and sometimes impatience at delay or restraint.

eager to get started

Where would keen be a reasonable alternative to anxious?

While the synonyms keen and anxious are close in meaning, keen suggests intensity of interest and quick responsiveness in action.

keen on the latest fashions

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of anxious Where chronic stress can leave you feeling depleted, anxious, and burnt out, good stress comes with energy, strength, and even creativity. Calin Van Paris, Outside Online, 15 Apr. 2025 But today that view was clouded by a sea of anxious bodies. Gabby Herzig, New York Times, 14 Apr. 2025 The partnership with the federal government comes as a growing number of FIU students are becoming anxious amid reports of international students being detained, deported and having their visas revoked. Clara-Sophia Daly, Miami Herald, 12 Apr. 2025 Friday, a government report showed that the U.S. labor market held up better than expected in March despite the federal government’s layoffs, the crackdown on immigrants, and surveys showing that consumers and businesses are increasingly anxious about the economy. Josh Fellman, Quartz, 4 Apr. 2025 See All Example Sentences for anxious
Recent Examples of Synonyms for anxious
Adjective
  • Others are worried about the fate of the Smithsonian more broadly.
    Deborah Barfield Berry, USA Today, 20 Apr. 2025
  • At Chang Jiang, Wu had a warning for customers who are worried about their favorite products going away or getting more expensive.
    Allison Cho, CNN Money, 19 Apr. 2025
Adjective
  • Shortly after midnight on Tuesday, some attendees at the Jet Set nightclub in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, started to feel uneasy.
    Larisha Paul, Rolling Stone, 10 Apr. 2025
  • But Sherrill remains uneasy about what could happen next.
    Susan Tompor, USA Today, 8 Apr. 2025
Adjective
  • Julianne being available and excited, wanting to come and play in the sandbox; James, similarly.
    EW Staff, EW.com, 28 Mar. 2025
  • So, when the opportunity to visit Tanzania arose, I was intrigued and excited to embark on this journey.
    Ronny Maye, Essence, 28 Mar. 2025
Adjective
  • At the same time, sellers might get nervous if deal activity slows down.
    James Nelson, Forbes.com, 18 Apr. 2025
  • At times brutal and always volatile, the album functions as a sort of electro-shock therapy applied from the shoulders down, layering hard beats, ambient whorls, and nervous acid ticks to trigger a state of full-body rapture.
    Jazz Monroe, Pitchfork, 18 Apr. 2025
Adjective
  • Other times, Claude’s mental activity seems super disturbing and maybe even dangerous.
    Steven Levy, Wired News, 28 Mar. 2025
  • Just as disturbing and bizarre, at least one juror originally didn’t want to convict Zeigler at all and didn’t vote to do so until after that same judge ordered the bailiff to give her a Valium.
    Scott Maxwell, The Orlando Sentinel, 26 Mar. 2025
Adjective
  • In addition, stubbornly high interest rates are prompting institutional investors to offload their holdings in these prime spaces, while luxury companies are eager to take advantage of once-in-a-generation opportunities, and lock in properties for the long term.
    Samantha Conti, Footwear News, 10 Apr. 2025
  • And Trump has been eager to expand the tech industry’s US footprint and cement America as a leader in artificial intelligence.
    Clare Duffy, CNN Money, 9 Apr. 2025
Adjective
  • The Pacers pulled off an upset series win against a then No. 3 seed Bucks in six games last year without Giannis Antetokounmpo.
    Homero De la Fuente, CNN Money, 13 Apr. 2025
  • But any lower than that seems like a waste, as, unfortunately, oddsmakers have already priced in some of the potential upset picks.
    Jeff Gluck, New York Times, 12 Apr. 2025
Adjective
  • Once tense and apprehensive, Mateo is later shown basking in the sun and running along the sand with other dogs in the care of his rescuer.
    Thomas G. Moukawsher, MSNBC Newsweek, 17 Apr. 2025
  • Erceg, 29, is known for putting out fires — tense situations in which the opposing team is threatening to score.
    Jaylon Thompson, Kansas City Star, 17 Apr. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Anxious.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/anxious. Accessed 23 Apr. 2025.

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