Anxiously

Part of speech: adverb

Pronunciation: /ˈæŋ(k).ʃəs.li/

Definitions

1. In a worried or nervous manner, showing concern about something that might happen
2. In a manner that expresses worry or nervous anticipation about future events or scenarios that could unfold
3. In a way that reflects apprehension or unease regarding potential outcomes or circumstances that may arise

Etymology: Anxiously is simply "anxious" with the adverbial ending "-ly" added, so its story is really the story of its base word. "Anxious" comes from the Latin "anxius," meaning troubled or distressed, which was formed from "angere," to press tightly or choke. The Latin root is the same one behind "anguish" and "angina," and it reaches back to an ancient Indo-European root meaning something that tightens or constricts, a physical image of pressure that the English word has since moved entirely into the mind. The adjective arrived in English by way of Latin "anxius" with the English suffix "-ous" attached, and the result describes a state of worry about what may happen next. The modern sense of the word, in which anxiety looks forward to uncertain outcomes, grew out of the original Latin idea of being pressed or squeezed in a difficult situation. The adverb "anxiously" follows the regular pattern. Its ending "-ly" descends from an old Germanic word meaning "body" or "form," which came to mark the sense of "in the manner of," so "anxiously" means "in an anxious manner."

Synonyms: nervously, worriedly, uneasily

Antonyms: calmly, confidently