It may seem that the difference between these two words has already been lost in the spoken language. My mother often says, for example, "I am anxious to go to the concert," or "I am anxious to visit my sister." But unless she is worried about the music, or fearful of her sister, she is using an imprecise word.
Dictionaries and usage guides still indicate a distinction. The first two meanings of anxious (in order of introduction into the language) relate it to worrying; the only current meaning of eager relates to positive enthusiasm. According to Webster's, here are the definitions:
- Anxious: "1: characterized by extreme uneasiness of mind or brooding fear about some contingency: WORRIED. 2: characterized by, resulting from, or causing anxiety: WORRYING. 3: ardently or earnestly wishing" (synonym for eager)
- Eager: "marked by enthusiastic or impatient desire or interest"
It seems pretty clear that eager is a positive interest and anxious is a fearful interest. Garner's Oxford Dictionary of American Usage and Style says that using anxious to mean eager is an example of slipshod extension, which means "the mistaken stretching of a word beyond its accepted meanings." Of course, the fact that Webster's lists anxious as a synonym for eager means that so many speakers and writers have used anxious incorrectly that the dictionary includes this definition in the interest of completeness-but not necessarily in the interest of correctness.
In sum, if you don't want to be guilty of "slipshod extension," and you want to use the precise word, follow these examples:
- I am anxious to find out whether my sentence will be a $10,000 fine or six months in prison. (I am worried.)
- I am eager to go out to dinner with my friends to celebrate my birthday. (I am happy.)
In short, to be anxious is bad; to be eager is good.