Anxious is the adjective describing how someone feels: "I felt anxious". Anxiety is the noun for the feeling itself, or for the medical condition: "she was treated for anxiety". You are anxious; you have anxiety. Note that anxious also has an older sense of eager — "anxious to help" — which is standard but can read as ambiguous.
The core difference
Same idea, different word class. Anxious describes a person; anxiety names the state.
- He was anxious about the results. — adjective, after a linking verb
- His anxiety got worse before exams. — noun, the thing itself
The pairing follows the ordinary English pattern: nervous/nervousness, afraid/fear, calm/calmness. What makes this pair worth a page is the second sense below.
Anxious meaning eager
Anxious has long been used to mean keenly wanting something: "anxious to please", "anxious for news". This is standard and centuries old, but because the dominant sense is now the worried one, the eager sense can read as unintended: "we are anxious to hear from you" may land as apprehension rather than enthusiasm. Where it matters, eager or keen is clearer.
The clinical sense
Anxiety also names a diagnosable condition, which the adjective does not — you can be anxious without having anxiety in the medical sense. Writing that blurs the two can trivialise the condition, so it is worth keeping "feeling anxious" and "has anxiety" apart when the difference is real.
The related words
- anxiously — the adverb: waited anxiously
- angst — a deeper, more existential unease, borrowed from German
- apprehensive — anxious about something specific and expected
Frequently asked questions
Is it "I have anxious" or "I have anxiety"?
I have anxiety. Anxious is an adjective describing how you feel — "I feel anxious" — while anxiety is the noun for the state or condition.
Does "anxious" mean eager?
It can, and has for centuries — "anxious to help". But because the worried sense now dominates, eager or keen is clearer when you mean enthusiasm.
What is the adverb?
Anxiously — "she waited anxiously". There is no adverb formed from the noun anxiety.