Angst

See also: angst

German

Etymology

From Middle High German angest, from Old High German angust, from Proto-Germanic *angustiz.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /aŋst/, [ʔaŋst], [ʔaŋkst]

• Audio

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• Audio (Berlin)

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• Audio (Austria)

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Noun

Angst f (genitive Angst, plural Ängste)

1. fear; fright; anxiety
   • 2022, Rammstein (lyrics and music), “Angst”:

     Alle haben Angst vorm schwarzen Mann

     All have fear (are afraid) of the black man

Usage notes

• A distinction may be made (or may formerly have been made) between Angst meaning “fear as an emotional condition” and Furcht meaning “fear as the reasonable reaction to a threat”.
• In contemporary German, the two words are widely treated as synonyms, with Angst being preferred over Furcht.
• The exception to this is that Furcht can also express a respectful fear, which Angst cannot. For example, Furcht vor dem Vater (“fear of one's father”) may be a strong, submissive form of respect, whereas Angst vor dem Vater would imply fear of paternal misconduct.

Declension

Declension of Angst [feminine]

	singular			plural
	indef.	def.	noun	def.	noun
nominative	eine	die	Angst	die	Ängste
genitive	einer	der	Angst	der	Ängste
dative	einer	der	Angst	den	Ängsten
accusative	eine	die	Angst	die	Ängste

Derived terms

• angst
• Angsthase
• ängstigen
• ängstlich
• Flugangst
• Höhenangst
• Platzangst
• Todesangst

 

Related terms

• Furcht
• Schreck

Further reading

• “Angst” in Digitales Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache
• “Angst” in Uni Leipzig: Wortschatz-Lexikon
• “Angst” in Duden online
• Angst on the German Wikipedia.Wikipedia ^de

Plautdietsch

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /aŋkst/, /aŋks/, /aŋs/, /aŋst/

Noun

Angst f

1. fear, trepidation
2. anguish, deep concern