angst

/ˈæŋ(k)st/

Etymology

Borrowed from German Angst or Danish angst; attested since the 19th century in English translations of the works of Søren Kierkegaard. Initially capitalized (as in German and contemporaneous Danish), the term first began to be written with a lowercase "a" around 1940–44. The German and Danish terms both derive from Middle High German angest, from Old High German angust, from Proto-Germanic *angustiz; Dutch angst is cognate. Compare Swedish ångest.

angst means Emotional turmoil; painful sadness; anguish. Lexicurio rates it Rare gem — a strength score of 70 out of 100.

Why this word is great

ANGST — [Noun] A feeling of deep anxiety, dread, or emotional turmoil, often of a philosophical or existential nature. From German Angst or Danish angst, from Middle High German angest, from Old High German angust, from Proto-Germanic *angustiz ("narrowness, constriction, fear"). Unlike "anxiety," a clinical or quotidian fret, or "anguish," a sharp lament born of a clear wound, angst is the low, chronic hum of a soul unmoored. It is the peculiar hollow behind the sternum of a teenager staring at an indifferent sky, the vertigo of staring into a star-filled void, and the dull, metallic taste of a freedom that renders all paths meaningless. It is the profound tax levied on a conscious mind for the privilege of knowing it is alive.

noun

Emotional turmoil; painful sadness; anguish.“I've begun to regret that we'd ever met / Between the dimensions. / It gets such a strain to pretend that the change / Is anything but cheap. / With your infant pique and your angst pretensions / Sometimes you act like such a creep.”
A feeling of acute but vague anxiety or apprehension often accompanied by depression, especially philosophical anxiety.
Fiction focusing on characters experiencing strong emotions and conflicts with other characters.“General: a story with a general theme. It is neither romance or angst but may incorporate elements of all other genres.”

verb

To suffer angst; to fret.“In the second scene, the camera switches to the father listening, angsting, dying inside, but saying nothing.”