ängslan

Ängslan is a Swedish noun that denotes a feeling of unease, worry, or apprehension about something uncertain or potentially troubling. It describes a milder, more generalized distress than clinical anxiety and is often linked to everyday concerns such as health, finances, or the future. The term is common in both spoken and written Swedish and appears across registers from casual conversation to literary prose.

Usage and nuance. Ängslan is frequently contrasted with oro (worry), rädsla (fear), and ångest (anxiety). While oro refers to practical concern about a specific issue and rädsla describes a concrete fear or threat, ängslan emphasizes emotional unease and anticipatory worry about what might happen rather than a immediate threat. The word can express a lingering mood or a temporary feeling that arises in response to particular situations.

In psychology and everyday language. People may experience ängslan as a persistent sensitivity to stress or a mild state of nervousness. In clinical contexts, Swedish explanations would typically use terms like ångest or ångeststörning for disorders, with ängslan functioning more as a descriptive feeling rather than a diagnostic category. Nonetheless, ängslan can be a component of anxiety-related conditions when it becomes pervasive or disruptive.

Cultural and literary usage. The term is common in Swedish literature and journalism to convey mood, introspection, or character traits marked by concern about the future, moral questions, or existential uncertainty. It remains a versatile word for expressing everyday, non-pathological worry as well as more reflective states of mind.