Antsy

Part of speech: adjective

Pronunciation: /ˈæn.tsi/

Definitions

1. Feeling restless, impatient, or nervous, often with a strong urge to move or do something
2. Experiencing a state of agitation marked by impatience and an overwhelming compulsion to move or take action
3. Experiencing a strong feeling of restlessness and eagerness that causes difficulty staying still

Etymology: "Antsy" is built from the noun "ants" plus the suffix "-y," and it comes from the phrase "ants in one's pants," a picture of someone so restless they seem to be crawling with insects. The idiom is the real source: the adjective is simply what you get when you turn that image into a single descriptive word. The phrase surfaced as a rural Southern American expression in the early twentieth century, and the word "antsy" grew out of it in the same period. Its sense of impatient, fidgety agitation follows directly from the insect image, since the person cannot keep still.