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Anonymous Posted 19 years ago
Vocabulary

eager/anxious

Hi,
Are 'be anxious to' and 'be eager to' interchangeable in the sentence below?

"He is anxious/eager to become a doctor someday."

Thanks.
  

Top answer

In some conversational American English they are the same, and they both mean eager . It's a common misuse of the word anxious . But not everyone uses anxious this way, because strictly speaking they are quite different.

— CalifJim

  • In some conversational American English they are the same, and they both mean eager .
  • It's a common misuse of the word anxious .
  • But not everyone uses anxious this way, because strictly speaking they are quite different.
  • anxious means nervous or fearful, so it doesn't really make sense in this sentence.
  • CJ
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12 Answers
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In some conversational American English they are the same, and they both mean eager. It's a common misuse of the word anxious. But not everyone uses anxious this way, because strictly speaking they are quite different. anxious means nervous or fearful, so it doesn't really make sense in this sentence.

CJ
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AnonymousAre 'be anxious to' and 'be eager to' interchangeable in the sentence below?

"He is anxious/eager to become a doctor someday."
Yes, they are. Anxious means eager in both British and American English. This quote is from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary:

anx·ious, adj.
1. full of mental distress or uneasiness b
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I agree with CJ here.
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Hi,

Thank you all for your answers.

I am very confused about CJ's reply. I have looked it up in the dictionary, including on line dictionaries. They all say that 'anxious' could mean "feeling strongly that you want to do something or want something to happen [= keen]. e.g.

'He seemed most anxious to speak to me alone.'

Do you all think 'anxious' is not correct t
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Anonymous'He seemed most anxious to speak to me alone.'

Do you all think 'anxious' is not correct to use here and the defenitions from dictionaries are all wrong?
No, we don't all think so. See my previous post, please.

CB
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Do you all think 'anxious' is not correct to use here and the defenitions from dictionaries are all wrong?
No. I was just passing on information that my teachers gave me years ago. I didn't realize that the "eager" definition of anxious was in the dictionary. Apparently my teachers were wrong -- or this is a relatively new definition of anxious. There
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Hi,

Here are a few small personal comments.

I, too, feel that 'anxious' is not exactly the same as 'eager'.

Even in something simple like 'I am anxious to see Mary tomorrow', it seems to me that there is at least a tiny suggestion of worry or concern or need in what I am saying. It sounds like I'd feel happier if I could see Mary right now.

I don't feel t
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Hi,

Thank you all, CB, CJ and Clive very much for answering my question and solving my confusion.

Many thanks.
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Hi,

Does 'be dying to' have the same meaning as 'be eager to' or 'be anxious to'? e.g.

'I am dying to see him again.'

Tank you very much.
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Hi,

This sounds like eagerness to me.

Clive
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