50 Idioms for Anxiety with Meaning & Sentences
Idioms for Anxiety
1. On edge
Meaning: Feeling nervous, anxious, or tense.
In a Sentence: She was on edge before her big job interview.
Other Ways to Say: Nervous, Uneasy, Restless
2. Jump out of one’s skin
Meaning: To react with extreme surprise or fear.
In a Sentence: When the thunder boomed loudly, Tim jumped out of his skin.
Other Ways to Say: Startle, Be startled
3. Bite one’s nails
Meaning: To feel nervous or anxious, often leading to the habit of biting one’s fingernails.
In a Sentence: John started to bite his nails when he realized he was late for the exam.
Other Ways to Say: Chew one’s nails, Be anxious
4. Butterflies in one’s stomach
Meaning: Feeling nervous or anxious, especially before a big event.
In a Sentence: I had butterflies in my stomach before my first performance.
Other Ways to Say: Feeling jittery, Stage fright
5. Break out in a cold sweat
Meaning: To suddenly sweat from fear or anxiety.
In a Sentence: She broke out in a cold sweat during the scary movie.
Other Ways to Say: Panic, Terrified
6. Heart in one’s mouth
Meaning: Feeling intense fear or anxiety.
In a Sentence: My heart was in my mouth as I waited for the test results.
Other Ways to Say: Fearful, Terrified
7. Bundle of nerves
Meaning: A very anxious or tense person.
In a Sentence: He’s a bundle of nerves before every flight.
Other Ways to Say: Extremely anxious, Nervous wreck
8. Lose one’s cool
Meaning: To suddenly become angry or anxious.
In a Sentence: He lost his cool when the project failed.
Other Ways to Say: Get upset, Panic
9. At one’s wit’s end
Meaning: Feeling very anxious and unsure of what to do.
In a Sentence: She was at her wit’s end with all the deadlines.
Other Ways to Say: Desperate, Helpless
10. On pins and needles
Meaning: Feeling anxious while waiting for something.
In a Sentence: I was on pins and needles waiting for her reply.
Other Ways to Say: Anxious, Nervously waiting
11. A nervous wreck
Meaning: A person who is very anxious or emotionally unstable.
In a Sentence: He was a nervous wreck before his wedding.
Other Ways to Say: Emotionally unstable, Highly anxious
12. Walk on eggshells
Meaning: To act very carefully due to anxiety or fear of upsetting someone.
In a Sentence: I felt like I had to walk on eggshells around my boss.
Other Ways to Say: Be cautious, Tread lightly
13. Go to pieces
Meaning: To break down emotionally due to anxiety or stress.
In a Sentence: She went to pieces after hearing the bad news.
Other Ways to Say: Break down, Lose control
14. A lump in one’s throat
Meaning: Feeling emotional or anxious, especially about to cry.
In a Sentence: He had a lump in his throat during the farewell speech.
Other Ways to Say: Emotional, Choked up
15. Break down
Meaning: To collapse emotionally due to stress or anxiety.
In a Sentence: She broke down after weeks of working overtime.
Other Ways to Say: Have a meltdown, Lose it
16. Tear one’s hair out
Meaning: To be extremely anxious or frustrated.
In a Sentence: He was tearing his hair out trying to meet the deadline.
Other Ways to Say: Frustrated, Agitated
17. Lose sleep over something
Meaning: To feel anxious enough that you can’t sleep.
In a Sentence: I lost sleep over the big decision I had to make.
Other Ways to Say: Worry endlessly, Stress out
18. Climb the walls
Meaning: To feel so anxious or bored that you can’t stay still.
In a Sentence: He was climbing the walls waiting for his test results.
Other Ways to Say: Restless, Stir-crazy
19. In a tizzy
Meaning: In a state of nervous excitement or worry.
In a Sentence: She was in a tizzy trying to get everything done in time.
Other Ways to Say: Frenzied, Agitated
20. Have the jitters
Meaning: To feel nervous or anxious.
In a Sentence: I had the jitters before my big presentation.
Other Ways to Say: Feel shaky, Uneasy
21. White-knuckle
Meaning: Extremely anxious or tense.
In a Sentence: It was a white-knuckle ride through the storm.
Other Ways to Say: Fearful, Tense
22. Freak out
Meaning: To panic or become very anxious.
In a Sentence: She freaked out when she lost her phone.
Other Ways to Say: Panic, Lose composure
23. Flip out
Meaning: To become very upset or anxious suddenly.
In a Sentence: He flipped out when the project went off track.
Other Ways to Say: Go crazy, Overreact
24. Have a panic attack
Meaning: A sudden and intense feeling of anxiety or fear.
In a Sentence: She had a panic attack before the speech.
Other Ways to Say: Anxiety episode, Overwhelmed
25. Gnaw at one
Meaning: To cause persistent worry or anxiety.
In a Sentence: The thought of losing her job kept gnawing at her.
Other Ways to Say: Worry constantly, Trouble
26. Be beside oneself
Meaning: To be extremely upset or anxious.
In a Sentence: She was beside herself with worry after the call.
Other Ways to Say: Overcome, Distraught
27. Shake like a leaf
Meaning: To tremble due to anxiety or fear.
In a Sentence: He was shaking like a leaf before his first interview.
Other Ways to Say: Tremble, Quiver
28. Lose one’s head
Meaning: To panic or become irrational from anxiety.
In a Sentence: Don’t lose your head; stay calm and focus.
Other Ways to Say: Panic, Lose control
29. Break down in tears
Meaning: To cry from anxiety or emotional pressure.
In a Sentence: She broke down in tears after the stressful day.
Other Ways to Say: Cry hard, Emotionally collapse
30. Fret over
Meaning: To worry excessively about something.
In a Sentence: She kept fretting over her appearance before the party.
Other Ways to Say: Be concerned, Be anxious
31. Worry oneself sick
Meaning: To worry so much that it affects your health.
In a Sentence: She worried herself sick waiting for the results.
Other Ways to Say: Be overly anxious, Panic too much.
32. Get cold feet
Meaning: To suddenly become anxious and hesitant.
In a Sentence: He got cold feet right before the wedding.
Other Ways to Say: Lose nerve, Feel afraid.
33. Be in a state
Meaning: To be very worried or anxious.
In a Sentence: She was in a state after hearing the news.
Other Ways to Say: Upset, Flustered.
34. Lose one’s nerve
Meaning: To become too anxious to continue something.
In a Sentence: He lost his nerve before going on stage.
Other Ways to Say: Back out, Chicken out.
35. Go bananas
Meaning: To become very anxious or behave irrationally.
In a Sentence: I went bananas trying to finish everything on time.
Other Ways to Say: Freak out, Go crazy.
36. Have a meltdown
Meaning: To emotionally collapse from stress or anxiety.
In a Sentence: She had a meltdown after working nonstop all week.
Other Ways to Say: Break down, Lose control.
37. In knots
Meaning: Feeling twisted with worry or anxiety.
In a Sentence: My stomach was in knots before the big meeting.
Other Ways to Say: Tense, Anxious.
38. Go off the deep end
Meaning: To react strongly due to anxiety or stress.
In a Sentence: He went off the deep end after losing his job.
Other Ways to Say: Overreact, Panic.
39. Shake in one’s boots
Meaning: To be extremely anxious or afraid.
In a Sentence: I was shaking in my boots before the interview.
Other Ways to Say: Be terrified, Tremble.
40. Nerves of jelly
Meaning: Being so anxious that one feels weak or shaky.
In a Sentence: I had nerves of jelly during the rollercoaster ride.
Other Ways to Say: Weak-kneed, Unsteady.
41. In a panic
Meaning: Experiencing sudden overwhelming anxiety.
In a Sentence: She was in a panic after misplacing her passport.
Other Ways to Say: Freaked out, Distressed.
42. Nerve-racking
Meaning: Causing extreme anxiety or stress.
In a Sentence: The final exam was a nerve-racking experience.
Other Ways to Say: Stressful, Tense.
43. Heart skips a beat
Meaning: Feeling startled or anxious due to a sudden event.
In a Sentence: My heart skipped a beat when the phone rang at midnight.
Other Ways to Say: Feel startled, Feel uneasy.
44. Be worked up
Meaning: To be very anxious or upset about something.
In a Sentence: Don’t get so worked up about one bad grade.
Other Ways to Say: Upset, Distressed.
45. Crack under pressure
Meaning: To lose control due to stress or anxiety.
In a Sentence: He cracked under pressure during the intense debate.
Other Ways to Say: Break down, Collapse.
46. Can’t sit still
Meaning: Feeling so anxious that you keep moving.
In a Sentence: I was so nervous I couldn’t sit still at all.
Other Ways to Say: Restless, Jittery.
47. Be all over the place
Meaning: To be emotionally scattered or anxious.
In a Sentence: My thoughts were all over the place before the interview.
Other Ways to Say: Distracted, Unfocused.
48. Feel the pressure
Meaning: To feel anxiety due to expectations or stress.
In a Sentence: She really felt the pressure before the big game.
Other Ways to Say: Be stressed, Be tense.
49. Pace back and forth
Meaning: To walk nervously because of anxiety.
In a Sentence: He paced back and forth waiting for the phone call.
Other Ways to Say: Fidget, Move nervously.
50. Be in over one’s head
Meaning: To be overwhelmed and anxious because of a difficult situation.
In a Sentence: I felt in over my head managing the whole event alone.
Other Ways to Say: Overwhelmed, Out of control.
