What it means
اضطراب (ezterâb) is borrowed from Arabic, where it is formed from the root ض-ر-ب (the idea of striking or being struck about), giving the noun the sense of inner agitation or disturbance. In Persian it carries a formal register and is the standard clinical and educated term for anxiety as an emotion or disorder. It is distinct from the more colloquial نگرانی (negarâni, worry, concern), which is milder and more everyday. In medical contexts you will see it in phrases like اختلال اضطراب فراگیر (ekhtellâl-e ezterâb-e farâgir, generalized anxiety disorder). Because of its Arabic origin and formal feel, speakers sometimes prefer نگرانی in casual speech while reaching for اضطراب in written, medical, or more serious emotional conversations.
How to use it
- قبل از امتحان همیشه اضطراب دارم. (qabl az emtehân hamishe ezterâb dâram.) “Before exams I always have anxiety.”
- اضطراب اجتماعی مانع زندگیام شده. (ezterâb-e ejtemâi mâne’ zendegiam shode.) “Social anxiety has gotten in the way of my life.”
- درمان اضطراب اغلب شامل رفتار درمانیه. (darmân-e ezterâb aghlaban shâmel raftâr-darmâniye.) “Treatment for anxiety often includes behavioral therapy.”
- این اضطراب از کجا میاد؟ (in ezterâb az kojâ miyâd?) “Where does this anxiety come from?”
Cultural note
اضطراب as a clinical concept is now widely used in Iranian mental health media, textbooks, and public health messaging. However, in ordinary conversation many Iranians reach first for دلشوره (delshore, gut worry, a very Persian expression for anxious feeling in the stomach) or نگرانی rather than the formal اضطراب. The coexistence of the Arabic-origin clinical term and the native Persian emotional vocabulary reflects a broader pattern in modern Persian, where Arabic borrowings often occupy the formal or technical register while native words carry everyday emotional meaning.