Anxieties refers to feelings of worry, nervousness, or unease about potential future events. It can denote the condition of being anxious or the specific worries that occupy one’s mind. In psychology or everyday speech, the term often appears in plural to describe a range of concerns rather than a single fear.
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"Her anxieties about the exam kept her awake all night."
"The counselor helped him manage his anxieties before the interview."
"We discussed his financial anxieties and brainstormed practical steps."
"Public speaking can trigger a spectrum of anxieties for many people."
Anxieties comes from the noun anxiety, which originates from the Latin anxietas, from anxius meaning 'anxious' or 'troubled'. The Latin anxietas blends anxius with a abstract noun-forming suffix -tas. In Classical Latin, anxietas referred to a state of unease or trouble, a sentiment later adopted into Middle English as anxiety in the sense of emotional distress. The plural anxieties emerged in English to describe multiple instances or kinds of worry, not just a single feeling. Over time, anxieties broadened to include clinical connotations (generalized anxiety) and everyday concerns. In modern usage, anxieties keep their core sense of unease about possible outcomes, but the word increasingly captures degrees of worry across contexts, from personal concerns to societal worries. First known uses trace back to Early Modern English texts, with written records appearing in the 16th to 17th centuries as writers described emotional states of agitation and fear. The plural form has been common since at least the 18th century and continues as a widespread term in psychology, self-help discourse, and everyday speech.
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Words that rhyme with "anxieties"
-ies sounds
Practice with these rhyming pairs to improve your pronunciation consistency:
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Pronounce it as /æŋˈzaɪ.ɪ.tiz/ (US) or /ˌæŋˈzaɪ.ɪ.tiz/ (UK). The primary stress is on the second syllable, 'zaɪ', with a secondary pitch rise into the final '-tiz'. Start with 'an' as in 'anchor' without extra vowels, then 'xie' sounds like 'zai', then 'i' as a quick schwa-less 'ee', and end with the 'tiz' syllable. Tip: ensure the 'x' here is a /z/ sound, not /ks/; this is key to natural-sounding stress and rhythm.
Common errors: (1) Mispronouncing the second syllable as 'xi' with a hard /ks/ or /z/ confusion; (2) Misplacing the primary stress, trying 'an- ' as the stressed syllable; (3) Lengthening the final 'ies' into 'ee-ess' instead of the compact /ɪtiz/. Correction: use /æŋˈzaɪ.ɪ.tiz/ with stress on 'zaɪ', keep 'x' as /z/ in 'zai', and end with /tɪz/. Practice saying the word slowly in isolation, then inside phrases to reinforce rhythm.
US tends to relieve the first syllable more; /æŋˈzaɪ.ɪ.tiz/ with stronger /ˈzaɪ/; UK often keeps a slightly more clipped final /tiz/ and may reduce the second vowel to a schwa in rapid speech, yielding /ˌæŋˈzaɪ.ɪ.tɪz/ in fast talk; Australian often matches US rhythm but with a flatter vowel in 'an' and a less rhotic quality, keeping /æŋˈzaɪ.ɪ.tiz/. Key is the /ˈzaɪ/ stress and final /tiz/ in all accents.
Because it involves a three-syllable rhythm with a secondary stress pattern and the consonant cluster 'x' producing a /z/ sound after a stressed vowel. The 'ie' sequence can be misread as /iː/ or /ɪə/; keep it crisp: /æŋˈzaɪ.ɪ.tiz/. The final /tiz/ requires light, quick articulation, not a heavy 't i s' syllable. Practicing slow, then normal, helps lock the rhythm.
The mid- to high-front vowel in 'an' combined with the 'x' yielding a /z/ sound is crucial. Getting the /æ/ in 'an' accurate and the /zaɪ/ sequence correct sets the pace for the entire word. If you mispronounce the /z/ as /ks/ or place the stress on the wrong syllable, everything will sound off. Focus on the strong /ˈzaɪ/ nucleus and the crisp final /tiz/.
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