apprehensiveness

noun

Definition of apprehensivenessnext
1
as in fear
an uneasy state of mind usually over the possibility of an anticipated misfortune or trouble her apprehensiveness about starting college is keeping her awake at night

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in dread
suspicion or fear of future harm or misfortune my apprehensiveness about raw fish disagreeing with me is keeping me from even trying sushi

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Examples Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for apprehensiveness
  1. fear
  2. dread
  3. concern
  4. anxiety
  5. worry
  6. unease
  7. uncertainty
  8. apprehension
Noun
  • The bitcoin price dropped to around $92,000 per bitcoin, restarting a sell-off that had lost steam earlier this week amid fears of a looming bitcoin price crash.
    Billy Bambrough, Forbes, 11 Jan. 2025
  • Two donors traveling with the program faced a deeper fear, grappling with the reality that their home in the fire zone might not withstand the flames — a fear later confirmed.
    Anthony De Leon, Los Angeles Times, 11 Jan. 2025
Definition of fear
Noun
  • The apocalyptic sense of dread has only been heightened by reports of hydrants running dry and a critical shortage of firefighters.
    Miles Klee, Rolling Stone, 8 Jan. 2025
  • Plagued by visions and an increasing sense of dread, Ellen encounters a force far beyond her control.
    Robert Lang, Deadline, 3 Jan. 2025
Definition of dread
Noun
  • Trump has also expressed opposition to a looming ban on TikTok after earlier having supported a law requiring its Chinese parent company to divest its U.S. operations over national security concerns.
    Jennifer Jett, NBC News, 17 Jan. 2025
  • And so there is a lot of concern about this amongst residents, who unfortunately have now lost everything.
    Michael Gfoeller And David H. Rundell, Newsweek, 16 Jan. 2025
Definition of concern
Noun
  • Studies point to lower grades and higher rates of car accidents, athletic injuries, risky behaviors, substance abuse, obesity, depression, and anxiety.
    Lynne Peeples, TIME, 6 Jan. 2025
  • No place does this mix of anxiety and forward-looking techno-evangelism spring forth more profusely than at CES.
    Boone Ashworth, WIRED, 5 Jan. 2025
Definition of anxiety
Noun
  • Organizational dysfunction, the most crucial worry.
    Jacob Robinson, The Athletic, 9 Jan. 2025
  • Allowing just nine points to the Minnesota Vikings was a tremendous leap forward; the only worry is if the bye week will cool down what might just be the best offense in the league.
    Fox News Staff, Fox News, 8 Jan. 2025
Definition of worry
Noun
  • With Butler offering his Thursday postgame comments shortly after coach Erik Spoelstra downplayed, and even dismissed, Heat concerns about simmering tensions and unease, there has yet to be a team response to Butler’s distress.
    Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 3 Jan. 2025
  • My thought was to dispel that sense of unease through scrutiny—whether through the inspiration that comes from seeing work done at its highest levels or the grim consolation of seeing that even the best occasionally end up mired in failure.
    Christopher Carroll, Harper's Magazine, 2 Jan. 2025
Definition of unease
Noun
  • What's Next The Syrian transitional government is still in its formative stages, leaving uncertainty about its implications for the country's future.
    Tommy Tuberville, Newsweek, 9 Jan. 2025
  • The uncertainty around his future had become an increasing distraction for the club, with negotiations lasting several weeks.
    Sebastian Stafford-Bloor, The Athletic, 9 Jan. 2025
Definition of uncertainty
Noun
  • This rapid evolution will undoubtedly bring about both excitement and apprehension.
    Timothy Papandreou, Forbes, 15 Jan. 2025
  • The country’s interior minister, Diosdado Cabello, later accused her of staging her own apprehension.
    Julie Turkewitz, New York Times, 10 Jan. 2025
Definition of apprehension
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Thesaurus Entries Near apprehensiveness

apprehensively

apprehensiveness

apprentice

See More Nearby Entries 

Cite this Entry

“Apprehensiveness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/apprehensiveness. Accessed 20 Jan. 2025.

Copy Citation

Share

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See All

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

Using Bullet Points ( • )

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

More Commonly Misspelled Words
See All

Popular in Wordplay

See All

Top 12 Sophisticated Compliments

Word of the Year 2024 | Polarization

Terroir, Oenophile, & Magnum: Ten Words About Wine

8 Words for Lesser-Known Musical Instruments

10 Words from Taylor Swift Songs (Merriam's Version)
See All

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Word Game Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
white rubber duck stands out in a row of yellow ducks
Odd Word Out: Synonyms Quiz Figure out which word isn't like the others.