apprehension
noun
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Latin Helps Build Apprehension
There’s quite a bit to comprehend about apprehension, so let’s take a closer look at its history. The Latin ancestor of apprehension (and of comprehend, prehensile, and even prison, among others) is the verb prehendere, meaning “to grasp” or “to seize.” When it was first used in the 14th century, apprehension could refer to the act of learning, a sense that is now obsolete, or the ability or power to understand things—learning and understanding both being ways to “grasp” knowledge or information. It wasn’t until the late 16th century that apprehension was used, as it still is today, for the physical seizure of something or someone (as an arrest). The most commonly used sense of apprehension today refers to a feeling that something bad is about to happen, when you seize up, perhaps, with anxiety or dread, having grasped all the unpleasant possibilities.
Examples of apprehension in a Sentence
Tom Vanden Brook, USA Today, 3 May 2025
Resistance To Change Introducing AI initiatives can cause apprehension among teams fearing job displacement.
—Vivek Vishal, Forbes.com, 1 May 2025
Officials in certain areas have expressed apprehension about dispensaries operating near towns that have opted out of allowing cannabis sales.
—Matt Rozo, Mercury News, 29 Apr. 2025
Throughout his pontificate, some conservative U.S. cardinals, including Cardinal Burke, voiced apprehension that his open dialogue on moral issues could risk ambiguity in church teaching.
—Josh Hammer, MSNBC Newsweek, 21 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for apprehension
Cite this Entry
“Apprehension.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/apprehension. Accessed 9 May. 2025.
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apprehension
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