Definitions
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
- n. A feeling of anxiety or apprehension often accompanied by depression.
- abbr. angstrom.
Wiktionary
- n. A feeling of acute but vague anxiety or apprehension often accompanied by depression, especially philosophical anxiety.
- n. More commonly, painful sadness or emotional turmoil, as teen angst.
- v. informal To suffer angst; to fret.
WordNet 3.0
- n. an acute but unspecific feeling of anxiety; usually reserved for philosophical anxiety about the world or about personal freedom
Etymologies
- German, from Middle High German angest, from Old High German angust; see angh- in Indo-European roots. (American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition)
Examples
“I'm pretty sure that very few people under the age of thirty-five remember what the word angst actually means, or know that "angsting" isn't a word, or that feeling and expressing angst is not a sign of weakness or something to be loathed and mocked.”
“The Tea Parties are important because white male angst is enough to bring Obama down if it spreads far enough.”
“So, that's why: simplicity, no fear of April 15, enjoyment of springtime, decrease in angst, no lost time trying to figure out how to beat the system, no "special interests" in Congress being highly paid to design more loopholes.”
“Unlike in the United States, where Latinos dominate the immigration debate, European angst is increasingly focused on waves of Muslims - Turks, Iraqis, Somalis and others - who have become the hottest-button issue in recent elections.”
The Washington Post: Anti-Muslim feelings propel right wing in Europe
“Let me just first say that of all the events and all of the things we've done in the last 18 months, the single one that makes me the angriest, that gives me the most angst, is the intervention with AIG.”
Lawmakers, Regulators, Taxpayers Unbelievably Pissed At AIG - The Consumerist
“When not lengthily bogged down in angst, a readable, non-formulaic police procedural with a twist.”
“Now, the way we make sense of our existential angst is by filling it with things.”
“I usually write my post on Thursday or Friday, to give myself plenty of time to flail around in angst about what to write.”
“Like Joss Whedon, he simply believes that angst is ALWAYS the answer.”
“In the midst of my entirely appropriate angst is arising a tingle of anticipation: a new seam to be mined – and shared – has just been opened.”
Lists
These user-created lists contain the word ‘angst’.
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Romanticism
Words to describe art of the Romantic Era
contorted, confusing, rebellious, puzzling, passion, bizarre, tortured, bruisy, emotion, brooding, dark, fantasy and 91 more...
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From reading
Collected from reading
venerate, reprobate, reticent, adoration, ethereal, ephemeral, equivocal, contumacious, heinous, solicitous, agnostic, aberration and 335 more...
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Realia from Everywhere
Culturally defined terms and expressions from the four corners of the world
fjord, mistral steppe, tornado, tsunami, polder, kiwi, koala, sequoia, Abominable Snowman, paprika, spaghetti, empanada and 299 more...
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Snarl words
Please add one purr word (<-- on that list over there, not this one) for every snarl word, so as to maintain equilibrium.
Please put snarl words here, and purr words in the other pl...chainsaw, hack, macheted, kitten, grout, hashtag, gangrene, riptide, bacchanal, ragnarok, deglove, rasp and 9 more...
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emo words
feelings...blah, blah, blah, feelings...
forsaken, anguish, angst, sorrowful, dejected, depressed, disconsolate, heartbroken, genial, chipper, inadequate, helpless and 58 more...
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Deadlinitis
How do approaching (or missed) deadlines make you feel?
entrained, untraveling, wordasphyxia, inspired, anxious, guilty, concentrated, panic, blackout, focused, insomnia, hunger and 17 more...
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Lingu-list
Words from other languages that are used, or would work well, in English. Also known as "loanwords."
hikikomori, ersatz, angst, barbecue, algebra, macho, burlesque, garage, voyeurism, avatar, jungle, looting and 17 more...
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Emotions
affection, longing, cheerfulness, pride, optimism, relief, success, suprise, irritation, rage, hope, love and 31 more...
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Holli
Cancer, Mercury, water, moon, dark, emotion, nostalgia, angst, brooding, isolation, shadow, corner and 145 more...
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ChortleGiggleSnort
Significant Words- Guiding you on your path to Snazzibility
flimsy, feeble, ranting, ramble, narky, snazzy, yoghurt, bulbous, pustule, globulous, geranium, megalomaniac and 521 more...
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Twitter favorites
The new favourite words of people on Twitter.
A script searches Twitter for "X is my new favorite word" and adds it to this list.
See also:
grabbable, retuiteando, leaving, fantastic, absolutely, kurwa, hella, ridic, underpass, hate, interlude, plush and 2369 more... -
Real words that I love
Words that make me happy in my pants AND have a place in the dictionary.
enervate, efficacious, basilisk, minotaur, elfin, elephantine, schadenfreude, enigma, emasculate, acidic, appalling, ridiculous and 102 more...
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newGRE
mostly from magoosh
imbue, verge on, nonchalant, deliberate, timorous, futile, provisional, dissect, checked, tinged, alluring, visionary and 1046 more...
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ADW1
obdurate, obstinate, behest, injunction, enjoin, circumspect, ensconce, discursive, lugubrious, doleful, somber, ken and 2476 more...
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Misc. Words.
Words I like to use, words I like but may forget.
corrosion, astonish, solace, ferment, continuum, kinesthetic, permeate, repose, caprice, cardinal, discourse, surrender and 610 more...
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My Words
Words that I use regularly and consider mine.
zen, poser, savvy, angst, flustered, bitter, whatsoever, farfetched, indeed, scenario, inevitable, salvage and 134 more...
Tweets
Looking for tweets for angst.

ruzuzu Cf. fluff. Mar 25, 2011
bilby "'What do you hear when you listen to the city?'
Very few people knew enough to ask him that question; the young man should not have been one of them.
'Life and happy days.'
'And behind that?'
The impudent light was turned off. The questions came from deep down. When people ask something from a deep place, one must reply.
'Angst,' said Kasper. 'The same angst that's in every human being. But multiplied by one and a half million.'
'And behind the angst?'
'Who says there's anything behind it? Maybe the angst is the end.'"
- 'The Quiet Girl', Peter Høeg. Mar 18, 2008
seanahan First thing I could come up with was taking a document and converting it into the language of the Isle of Man, "Manxed". Mar 15, 2008
pterodactyl Angst (n): The anxious, apprehensive feeling you get, deep down in your soul, when you try to find a rhyme for "angst". Mar 14, 2008