Angst

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /æŋ(k)st/

Definitions

1. A feeling of deep anxiety, dread, or existential unease about life, often without a specific cause
2. A profound sense of worry, apprehension, or inner turmoil that pervades one's emotional state
3. An intense emotional distress characterized by vague fear, uneasiness, or philosophical dread about existence

Etymology: The German word "Angst" once meant nothing more than tight physical distress. It descends from Proto-Germanic "*angustiz", which carried the sense of narrowness, and the same root gave English "anguish". Over centuries the German term shifted from a constriction of the body to a state of mind, a feeling of being pressed in from every side. English borrowed the word in the 19th century, largely through translations of the Danish philosopher Søren Kierkegaard, who used it to describe the unsettling awareness of human freedom and the possibility of choosing wrongly. Early English writers kept the capital letter, as German did, marking it as a foreign term. Only around 1940 to 1944 did it begin to appear in lowercase, a sign that it had become a regular part of English vocabulary.

Synonyms: anxiety, dread, worry, unease, nervousness

Antonyms: calm, peace, serenity, contentment, composure