anxious
an·xious/ˈæŋkʃəs/adjective
anxious is spelled A-N-X-I-O-U-S: 7 letters and 2 syllables (an·xious). It appears 12 times per million words in written English, the 6,138th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, anxious means “Nervous and worried” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in anxious?
| Letters | 7: A-N-X-I-O-U-S |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2: an·xious |
| In writing | 12 times per million words; the 6,138th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is anxious?
Anxious appears 12 times per million words in written English, the 6,138th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce anxious?
- UK /ˈæŋkʃəs/
- British /ˈaŋkʃəs/
- /ˈɛŋkʃəs/
Anxious has 2 syllables, split an·xious in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-anxious.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of anxious
- more anxious comparative
- anxiouser comparative
- most anxious superlative
- anxiousest superlative
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does anxious mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Nervous and worried.
- 2
Having a feeling of anxiety or disquietude; extremely concerned, especially about something that will happen in the future or that is unknown.
She was anxious to hear how her test results were.
- 3
Accompanied with, or causing, anxiety; worrying.
anxious labor
- 4
Earnestly desirous.
He is anxious to please, so you can count on him.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Anxious in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | inquiet , anxieux , préoccupant , désireux |
| German | ängstlich, besorgt, nervös, verängstigt, bange, bang |
| Portuguese | desconfortável , ansioso , receoso |
| Spanish | incómodo , ansioso, inquieto , deseoso |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does anxious come from?
Borrowed from Latin anxius, from angō (“to cause pain, choke”); akin to Ancient Greek ἄγχω (ánkhō, “to choke”). See anger; angst.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).