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
  • Over the course of 24 hours, the pair discuss fellow luminaries, navigate existential fears, and reflect on the joys and struggles of being an artist.
    Radhika Seth, Vogue, 11 Jan. 2025
  • 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
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
  • Where would it be based? Lazarus sought to assuage some of those concerns in the Tuesday morning meeting.
    Alex Weprin, The Hollywood Reporter, 16 Jan. 2025
Definition of concern
Noun
  • The situation caused Campbell a lot of anxiety, but became a pivotal shift in her perspective.
    Kait Hanson, Glamour, 18 Jan. 2025
  • Then the widespread anxiety spurred by a wave of high-profile robberies and the deadly home-invasion of Jacqueline Avant.
    Gary Baum, The Hollywood Reporter, 18 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
  • Beyond technical concerns, Iran's broader military buildup adds to regional unease.
    Michael Gfoeller And David H. Rundell, Newsweek, 15 Jan. 2025
  • Rose felt a sense of unease upon returning home, and Hadley continued to have episodes.
    Andrea Wurzburger, People.com, 13 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 21 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.