anxiously

Meanings

1. 1adverbnot comparable

   In a worried, uneasy way because you fear something bad may happen.

   Grammar: Goes with verbs of looking, waiting or asking: waited anxiously, asked anxiously.

   Patterns

   • wait anxiously
   • look anxiously at something
   • ask anxiously

   She glanced anxiously at the clock as the storm grew worse.

   The parents waited anxiously outside the operating room.

   He anxiously checked his pockets for the keys.

2. 2adverbnot comparableformal

   In an eager way, wanting something to happen soon.

   Grammar: Often used with await: anxiously awaiting results; this meaning is somewhat formal.

   Patterns

   • anxiously await something

   Fans anxiously awaited the release of the new album.

   The town anxiously awaits the opening of the bridge.

   We anxiously hoped the call would bring good news.

Common combinations

wait anxiously

They waited anxiously for the exam results.

look anxiously

He looked anxiously at the dark sky.

anxiously await

The family anxiously awaited news from the rescuers.

ask anxiously

"Is he going to be all right?" she asked anxiously.

glance anxiously

She glanced anxiously over her shoulder.

Synonyms and how they differ

nervously

Nervously stresses jittery behavior such as fidgeting, while anxiously stresses worry about an outcome.

worriedly

Worriedly is simpler and less formal and carries no sense of eager waiting.

apprehensively

Apprehensively suggests fear about something specific that lies ahead, often with a more formal tone.

eagerly

Eagerly shows keen wanting without the fear that anxiously usually carries.

Opposites

Word family

anxious adjective

worried or uneasy, or eager

anxiety noun

a feeling of worry or unease

anxiousness noun

the state of being anxious

Commonly confused: anxiously or eagerly?

Practice

Make it your own

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

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