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. uncertainty
Noun
  • The White House decision has heightened fears that Ukraine could be left exposed to Moscow's escalating attacks as winter approaches.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 18 Oct. 2026
  • That a self-image forged in the crucible of the fear of being ugly makes women amputate their talents?
    — Eugenie Brinkema, ARTnews.com, 17 Oct. 2026
Definition of fear
Noun
  • Long before the shooting, every school drop-off carried a quiet dread.
    — Alaa Elassar, CNN Money, 17 Oct. 2026
  • With homes nearly toppling into the ocean and back-to-back floods and hurricanes amplifying our sense of dread, keeping track of all things El Niño can be overwhelming.
    — Rosanna Xia, Los Angeles Times, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of dread
Noun
  • Mental health experts have voiced concerns about chatbots’ sycophancy, lack of clinical nuance, and ability to reinforce delusional beliefs.
    — Andrew R. Chow, Time, 22 Oct. 2026
  • The deal drew concern from legislators and delivery drivers, who worried about reduced competition.
    — Jay Ganglani, Fortune, 22 Oct. 2026
Definition of concern
Noun
  • When the line between general unease with not knowing crosses into anxiety that interferes with daily life, people should seek professional help, said Dugas.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 17 Oct. 2026
  • Given Abbey’s anxieties about spending money and fear of not having enough, Stacy plans to use very conservative assumptions for inflation, health costs and average returns when making her projections based on Abbey’s savings today.
    — Jeanne Sahadi, CNN Money, 17 Oct. 2026
Definition of anxiety
Noun
  • Melanie Lawrence, a 68-year-old independent, worries about wells going dry in her area near Willcox, where the groundwater grew so depleted that the land started to crack.
    — Hannah Knowles The Washington Post, Arkansas Online, 19 Oct. 2026
  • In an interview earlier this fall with NPR, Los Angeles County's top voting official, Dean Logan, alluded to those worries.
    — Miles Parks, NPR, 19 Oct. 2026
Definition of worry
Noun
  • His apprehension turned into anger when the city’s Department of Transportation erased the DIY crosswalks two months later.
    — Andrew J. Campa, Los Angeles Times, 16 Oct. 2026
  • Talarico’s success so far can partly be chalked up to voters’ apprehensions toward Paxton, who faced questions in his past over corruption, including being impeached by his own party in the Texas legislature.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of apprehension
Noun
  • When the line between general unease with not knowing crosses into anxiety that interferes with daily life, people should seek professional help, said Dugas.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 17 Oct. 2026
  • Beyond elevated yield levels, the widening spread between French and German benchmark sovereign bonds reflects growing investor unease over France's fiscal trajectory and debt servicing capacity.
    — , CNBC, 13 Oct. 2026
Definition of unease
Noun
  • For a government overseeing a population dominated by mobile expats, that created a lot of uncertainty in terms of establishing an economic base that can support a welfare system and basic state infrastructure.
    — Mia Osmonbekov, Fortune, 18 Oct. 2026
  • The shooting has brought medical expenses and uncertainty to her family, according to the fundraising campaign.
    — Ray Sanchez, CNN Money, 18 Oct. 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.

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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 25 Oct. 2026.

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