Definition of ANGST

Examples of angst in a Sentence

The winner of France's prestigious Prix de Flore, "Report on Myself" is a study in raw angst and mortifying self-disclosure: a portrait of the artist as a lover who just can't catch a break. — Caroline Weber, New York Times Book Review, 15 Feb. 2009 Adapting Alicia Erian's novel, writer-director Alan Ball showcases both the knack for sketching out thorny relationships that distinguished Six Feet Under and the impulse for … suburban angst that befouled his script for American Beauty. — Troy Patterson, Spin, September 2008 The retail category, of course, has been a source of angst among newspapers for some time. Retail ad volume in papers has declined for much of the past 15 years, according to Merrill Lynch research. — Lucia Moses et al., Editor & Publisher, 8 Oct. 2001 One way to increase these health benefits is to learn how to write more fluidly and with less angst and frustration. When you're engaged with what you're doing, the rest of the world recedes. — Susan H. Perry, Psychology Today, November/December 2001 a film about teenage angst

Recent Examples on the Web Their angst was easily dismissed by their populist foes as the self-interested whine of a snobbish establishment. — Jonathan Freedland, The New York Review of Books, "Disinformed to Death," 3 Aug. 2020 Unmet expectations are one of the top sources of human angst. — The Washington Post, "Carolyn Hax Live: 'Even the dog'," 31 July 2020 The manner of 24-year-old Robert Fuller's death on June 10 in Palmdale intensified the racial angst that already was at a boiling point following the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis. — Author: Stefanie Dazio, Christopher Weber, Anchorage Daily News, "Hanging death of Black man in California park ruled suicide," 10 July 2020 It’s no fun openly airing our angst and anger – our family issues. — Roy S. Johnson | Rjohnson@al.com, al, "Johnson: Black people, we’ve got work to do -- the killing must stop," 6 July 2020 Since its founding in 2003, 4chan has attracted a unique population of deeply cynical men, once all young, but now aged from their 40s down to their teens, who generally use the board to express their angst through dark humor. — Dale Beran, The Atlantic, "The Boogaloo Tipping Point," 4 July 2020 Confidence and a plan for the future help to keep your own angst at bay. — Sonja Marie, Essence, "July 2020 Horoscopes: Your Inner Strength Is Our Refuge, Cancer," 30 June 2020 In May, as the good will enjoyed by the government in the early days of the pandemic gave way to uncertainty and angst, the governing Law and Justice party was desperate to hold presidential elections. — Marc Santora, BostonGlobe.com, "Poland’s virus-delayed presidential election suddenly looks tight," 27 June 2020 If racing is part of the cure for the angst of the past several days, this weekend offers much. — Mike Hembree, USA TODAY, "NASCAR's road ahead after noose investigation anything but straightforward," 25 June 2020

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'angst.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

History and Etymology for angst

borrowed from German Angst, going back to Middle High German angest, going back to Old High German angust "distress, worry, anxiety," going back to West Germanic *angusti- (whence also Old Frisian ongesta, ongosta "anxiety, danger," Middle Dutch anxt, anxte), derivative, with a noun suffix *-ti- or *-sti-, of the Germanic base *angu- seen in Old English enge "narrow," ange "distressing," Old High German ango "anxious" — more at anger entry 1

Note: If the suffix in question is *-ti-, then the element *angus- is perhaps directly comparable with the s-stem noun reflected in Latin angor "suffocation, anguish," Sanskrit áṁhaḥ "anxiety, trouble" (see anger entry 1) or Latin angustus "narrow" (see anguish entry 1).

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