angst
Brooding teenage emotion
Angst is a feeling of deep anxiety or dread, often without a specific cause.
The word carries existential weight—not mere worry about a deadline, but unease about life itself, mortality, or one's place in the world.
Teenage angst has become somewhat clichéd, describing the brooding intensity of adolescence: His poetry was full of adolescent angst.
The term retains its German flavor and literary associations.
Troubled mental state
- nervousnessState of anxious unease
- tensionStretched or strained state
- stressPressure, mental or vocal
- uneasinessMild persistent worry
restlessness · disquiet · apprehension · jitters · fretfulness · anxiousness · overwhelm · insecurity
Danish existentialist theologian
- SartreFrench existentialist philosopher
- CamusFrench absurdist author-philosopher
- existentialismPhilosophy stressing self-created meaning
- absurdismPhilosophy embracing existence's irrationality
nihilism · meaninglessness · void · alienation · authenticity · nothingness · futility · ennui
Fearful anticipation of harm
- trepidationFearful uncertainty
- terrorExtreme, overwhelming fear
- horrorExtreme fear or disgust
- alarmUrgent warning signal
chill · ominous · menace · haunting · specter · looming · impending · premonition
Extreme physical or emotional pain
- distressSevere anxiety or suffering
- tormentSevere prolonged suffering
- sufferingSustained experience of distress
- hopelessnessState without hope
desolation · melancholy · gloom · wretchedness · misery · bleakness · heartache · sorrow
Teenage developmental stage
- pubertySexual development stage
- rebellionDefiance of established power
- identityWho someone is
- alienationState of being isolated
brooding · moodiness · hormones · coming-of-age · melodrama · diary · isolation · misunderstood
Accumulated dirt or filth
- gothMelancholic music subculture
- punkRaw, fast rock genre
- emoConfessional rock subgenre
- alternativeAnother available choice
dark · brooding · noir · raw · dissonant · underground · counterculture · metal
Probing one's innermost feelings
- self-examinationScrutiny of one's thoughts
- self-doubtUncertainty about oneself
- overthinkingDwelling excessively on thoughts
- ruminationProlonged, repetitive thinking
preoccupation · self-consciousness · self-pity · brooding · reflection · inner turmoil · second-guessing · navel-gazing
worry
Troubled mental state
- nervousnessState of anxious unease
- tensionStretched or strained state
- stressPressure, mental or vocal
uneasiness · restlessness · disquiet · apprehension · jitters · fretfulness · anxiousness · overwhelm · insecurity · agitation
Kierkegaard
Danish existentialist theologian
- SartreFrench existentialist philosopher
- CamusFrench absurdist author-philosopher
- existentialismPhilosophy stressing self-created meaning
absurdism · nihilism · meaninglessness · void · alienation · authenticity · nothingness · futility · ennui · being
foreboding
Fearful anticipation of harm
- trepidationFearful uncertainty
- terrorExtreme, overwhelming fear
- horrorExtreme fear or disgust
alarm · chill · ominous · menace · haunting · specter · looming · impending · premonition · anticipation
agony
Extreme physical or emotional pain
- distressSevere anxiety or suffering
- tormentSevere prolonged suffering
- sufferingSustained experience of distress
hopelessness · desolation · melancholy · gloom · wretchedness · misery · bleakness · heartache · sorrow · woe
adolescence
Teenage developmental stage
alienation · brooding · moodiness · hormones · coming-of-age · melodrama · diary · isolation · misunderstood · self-doubt
grunge
Accumulated dirt or filth
alternative · dark · brooding · noir · raw · dissonant · underground · counterculture · metal · moody
soul-searching
Probing one's innermost feelings
- self-examinationScrutiny of one's thoughts
- self-doubtUncertainty about oneself
- overthinkingDwelling excessively on thoughts
rumination · preoccupation · self-consciousness · self-pity · brooding · reflection · inner turmoil · second-guessing · navel-gazing · self-awareness
- teenagersprom, attitude, back talk, brooding, crushes
- GothJoy Division, Bauhaus, Sisters of Mercy, The Damned, Robert Smith
- Nordic thoughtKierkegaard, either/or, fear and trembling, leap of faith, authenticity
- emotionsjoy, anger, fear, sadness, love
- adolescencepuberty, teenager, coming-of-age, growing up, teen
- Anxietynervousness, panic, worry, dread, uneasiness
angstserenity
Undisturbed mental quietude
peace · calmness · tranquility · contentment · equanimity
angstassurance
Firm promise or certainty
confidence · security · certainty · self-assurance · groundedness
angstjoy
Intense positive emotion
bliss · happiness · lightheartedness · carefreeness · optimism
- teenage angstYouth's emotional turbulence
- teen angstYouthful existential distress
- mental anguishSevere psychological distress
- existential angstDistress over life's meaninglessness
- in anguish
- deep anguish
anguish, angsts, angsting, angsty, angstiest, angstiness, angst-ridden