apprehensiveness

noun

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

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for apprehensiveness
  1. fear
  2. dread
  3. concern
  4. anxiety
  5. worry
  6. apprehension
  7. unease
  8. uncertainty
Noun
  • Bell also spoke of the importance of prioritizing communication in their relationship — especially during moments of fear or insecurity.
    — Toria Sheffield, PEOPLE, 5 July 2026
  • Our country right now is mired in a level of bullying and intolerance that, for some, might feed their fears, but won’t feed their family.
    — Dawn M. Turner, Chicago Tribune, 5 July 2026
Definition of fear
Noun
  • Unlike the 1960 film, where Mizuno narrates his own tragedy, Yeon and Katayama’s new Vapor is an object of mystery and dread rather than the story’s protagonist.
    — Patrick Brzeski, HollywoodReporter, 6 July 2026
  • Without a sense of dread and horror, From just becomes a kind of supernatural soap opera where everyone is angry at one another all the time.
    — Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 5 July 2026
Definition of dread
Noun
  • To use available resources to block line of sight from the American Glass Research International complex to Trump, despite identifying this line of sight as a concern.
    — Bart Jansen, USA Today, 3 July 2026
  • Over in the geopolitical front, fresh escalating tensions draw concern as Russia launched a massive missile and drone attack on Ukraine, prompting Poland to scramble jets while Finland restricted airspace.
    — Justina Lee, CNBC, 3 July 2026
Definition of concern
Noun
  • And at times members of the congregation thank her and others for casting aside those anxieties and keeping this place going.
    — Andrew Carter, Chicago Tribune, 5 July 2026
  • That uncertainty allows anxiety to grow because your brain naturally wants answers that do not yet exist.
    — Dr. Diane Hamilton, Forbes.com, 4 July 2026
Definition of anxiety
Noun
  • Those worries make sense, and understanding how bird flu spreads and what to watch for is the best way to protect your flock and yourself.
    — Ryan Brennan, Miami Herald, 2 July 2026
  • Elevation invites visitors to carve wishes, worries, and hopes into the church pews.
    — Tessa Solomon, ARTnews.com, 2 July 2026
Definition of worry
Noun
  • Yet DePaul University professor Martha Gardner offers an alternative perspective, one where the experiences of immigrants can offer society comfort, cohesion and a sense of hope in their nation during times of apprehension.
    — Angie Leventis Lourgos, Chicago Tribune, 28 June 2026
  • Also, some consumers show a significant level of apprehension and distrust about the science behind the product on chat platforms like Reddit.
    — Alexandra Frost, USA Today, 24 June 2026
Definition of apprehension
Noun
  • To convey the family’s internal unease, Cárdenas landed on a number of devices that were subtle but significant in terms of changing the optics of the series.
    — Jim Hemphill, IndieWire, 3 July 2026
  • Declassified British documents from the 1960s revealed government unease over the presence of the micronation, as well as eventually shelved plans to bomb it.
    — Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 30 June 2026
Definition of unease
Noun
  • Adding to the uncertainty, Congress allowed Affordable Care Act subsidies to expire last year, which caused insurance premiums to spike for millions more people.
    — Tamar Hallerman, AJC.com, 1 July 2026
  • This work of checking in on team members or translating ambiguity, especially during periods of uncertainty, has been dubbed the empathy or care tax.
    — Holly Corbett, Forbes.com, 1 July 2026
Definition of uncertainty
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.

Browse Nearby Words

apprehensively
apprehensiveness
apprentice
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Apprehensiveness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/apprehensiveness. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation
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 More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

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

Commonly Misspelled Words

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

One-Word Oxymorons: Bittersweet, Spendthrift, and More

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List
See More

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 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?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
hangman letters and game
Hangman Lightning Round Figure out which word fits in the blanks.
See All