antsy

Meanings

1. 1adjectivecomparableinformal

   Unable to stay still or calm because you are nervous, excited or impatient.

   Grammar: Used after a verb like get or feel, or before a noun: she got antsy while waiting.

   Patterns

   • get antsy
   • feel antsy
   • antsy about something

   The kids got antsy during the long car ride.

   I always feel antsy before an exam.

   He grew antsy waiting for the call.

2. 2adjectivecomparableinformal

   Eager to leave or change what you are doing because you are bored.

   Grammar: Often followed by to: antsy to leave.

   Patterns

   • antsy to do something

   She was antsy to leave the meeting.

   The team was antsy for the season to start.

   Grandpa gets antsy if he stays inside all day.

Word forms

Common combinations

get antsy

The dog gets antsy when we pack bags.

feel antsy

I feel antsy sitting still.

antsy about

She was antsy about the results.

antsy to

He was antsy to start the trip.

antsy kids

Antsy kids ran circles around the yard.

Synonyms and how they differ

restless

Restless is neutral and works in formal writing, while antsy is casual.

fidgety

Fidgety describes small physical movements, while antsy stresses the feeling behind them.

jumpy

Jumpy suggests being easily startled, which antsy does not.

impatient

Impatient focuses on not wanting to wait and is not necessarily physical.

Opposites

Word family

ants in your pants phrase

an informal idiom for being restless

antsiness noun

the state of being antsy

antsily adverb

in a restless way, a rare form

Commonly confused: antsy or ancy?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “antsy”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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