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

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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. fearfulness
Noun
  • Fortune recently reported on wealthy parents’ growing fear that their fortunes will sap their children’s drive.
    — Molly A. Wallace, Fortune, 24 Oct. 2026
  • Coupled with job-displacement fears from AI, opponents now point to the facilities as a physical symbol of who benefits from the boom and who gets stuck with the bill.
    — Luke Fountain, CNBC, 24 Oct. 2026
Definition of fear
Noun
  • If that fills you with dread, don't worry — Kacy Paide has advice.
    — Andee Tagle, NPR, 29 Oct. 2026
  • Congress has recently presented legislation to resolve the chaos, although the involvement of politicians produces more dread than hope.
    — Letters to the Editor, The Orlando Sentinel, 28 Oct. 2026
Definition of dread
Noun
  • The swelling majorities, with some races still too early to call, underlined a deep sense of voter anger and concern over the economy and the state of democracy.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 5 Nov. 2026
  • The projects drew opposition over concerns about water consumption, electricity costs, and environmental protections.
    — Claire Carter, The Washington Examiner, 4 Nov. 2026
Definition of concern
Noun
  • Research has also found that across generational groups, greater user tendency to engage in social comparison, together with greater maladaptive ways of coping with emotions, is associated with more symptoms of anger, anxiety, and depression.
    — Ashwini Nadkarni, Time, 24 Oct. 2026
  • The market for profiting off male body anxiety is nothing new.
    — Gavin Francis, The New York Review of Books, 24 Oct. 2026
Definition of anxiety
Noun
  • Capital One jumped 3% after struggling last week amid worries about higher gasoline prices and credit delinquencies.
    — Alexa LoMonaco, CNBC, 2 Nov. 2026
  • Several hacks on government infrastructure underscored growing worry over the use of AI to undermine cybersecurity.
    — Prashant Rao, semafor.com, 2 Nov. 2026
Definition of worry
Noun
  • And there’s this sort of strange, ghostly expectancy, which is quite weird, a mixture of apprehension and fear.
    — Isaac Chotiner, New Yorker, 23 Oct. 2026
  • But the plaintiffs said that the Big Bend Sector ranks last for apprehensions compared to the other six sectors along the southern border.
    — Melissa Quinn, CBS News, 21 Oct. 2026
Definition of apprehension
Noun
  • The band frequently steers the poppy songwriting offroad by leaning into distortion and ambience, creating moments of both near-mania and hazy unease.
    — Sue Park, Pitchfork, 22 Oct. 2026
  • Mild unease gave way to statements about being worthless, unloved, and a failure.
    — Shae Lake, Fortune, 22 Oct. 2026
Definition of unease
Noun
  • There’s a delicacy to Sebastián, a hushed fearfulness, that sets him apart from his new comrades.
    — Justin Chang, New Yorker, 3 Nov. 2026
Definition of fearfulness
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.

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apprehensively
apprehensiveness
apprentice
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Cite this Entry

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

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