angst

[ahngkst, angst]

noun

1. a feeling of dread, anxiety, or anguish.

angst

/ æŋst, aŋst /

noun

1. an acute but nonspecific sense of anxiety or remorse

2. (in Existentialist philosophy) the dread caused by man's awareness that his future is not determined but must be freely chosen

angst

1. A kind of fear or anxiety; Angst is German for “fear.” It is usually applied to a deep and essentially philosophical anxiety about the world in general or personal freedom. (See existentialism.)

Other Word Forms

• angsty adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of angst¹

First recorded in 1840–50; from German Angst “fear, anxiety,” Old High German angust (cognate with Middle Low German angest, Middle Dutch anxt ), from ang- (akin to eng “narrow, constricted”) + -st, abstract noun suffix

Word History and Origins

Origin of angst¹

German

Example Sentences

Palace chairman Steve Parish has helped appease his manager's very public angst by keeping the central defender despite agreeing to sell Guehi to Liverpool earlier on deadline day.

From BBC

There has been plenty of emotion among the Dodgers and Padres fan bases already this year, mostly in the form of angst.

From Los Angeles Times

The Pacific Urbanism staff imagined a hybrid model that, they believe, would allow Reseda to achieve its goal with the least amount of community angst.

From Los Angeles Times

You know what could have prevented all this angst?

From Los Angeles Times

Nor is trade the only source of angst.

From Salon

Related Words

• agony 
• apprehension 
• dread 
• misgiving 
• nervousness 
• uneasiness www.thesaurus.com