What does angst mean?
Angst refers to a feeling of deep anxiety, dread, or unease — particularly a vague, free-floating apprehension that is not attached to any specific threat. Borrowed into English from German in the nineteenth century, the word carries strong philosophical associations: thinkers such as Søren Kierkegaard used it to describe the dizzying anxiety that arises when confronting freedom, choice, and mortality. In everyday usage, angst most often appears in discussions of adolescent turmoil, where 'teenage angst' has become a fixed phrase describing the moody self-consciousness of youth. It also features prominently in cultural criticism, describing the brooding tone of certain music, literature, and art. Unlike ordinary worry, which usually has a clear cause, angst suggests a deeper, more diffuse disquiet about life itself. Its Germanic origin links it etymologically to words such as anguish and anxious, all tracing back to the same root of constriction and distress.
nounA feeling of deep anxiety, dread, or existential unease, often about the human condition or one's place in the world.
- A feeling of anxiety, dread, or general apprehension, especially vague or free-floating rather than tied to a specific threat.
- Existential anguish or despair about the meaning of life or the human condition, as discussed in philosophy (especially Kierkegaard and Heidegger).
"Her teenage angst poured out in a series of brooding poems."
"He was gripped by angst as the exam results approached."
"The novel captures the existential angst of a generation questioning its purpose."
Rarely used; angst is normally treated as an uncountable noun.
"The diaries record the various angsts of his student years."
The word 'angst' was borrowed wholesale from German, where philosophers like Kierkegaard made it the defining mood of modern existence — and it's technically pronounced with the same vowel as 'cat', not 'ahngst'.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of angst
Angst comes directly from German, where it means fear or anxiety, and was adopted into English in the mid-nineteenth century. The German word itself descends from Old High German 'angust', sharing a common Germanic root with English 'anguish' (via Old French) and ultimately related to Latin 'angere' and Greek 'anchein', both meaning to choke or squeeze. This shared root explains why angst, anguish, and anxious all convey a sense of constriction or distress.
How angst is actually used
Angst is typically used for a pervasive, often unexplained sense of anxiety or dread, rather than fear of a specific object. In everyday use it is strongly associated with adolescent or teenage turmoil ('teenage angst'), while in philosophy it carries a more precise existential meaning. It functions almost exclusively as an uncountable noun; a plural form exists but is rare. The word entered English from German in the mid-19th century.
Easily confused with angst
Anguish refers to severe emotional or physical suffering and torment, while angst denotes anxious dread or existential unease, often without a specific cause.