apprehensive

ap·pre·hen·sive | \ ˌa-pri-ˈhen(t)-siv

Definition of apprehensive

1 : viewing the future with anxiety or alarm : feeling or showing fear or apprehension about the future … many adults who do not think twice about the risks of driving an automobile are apprehensive about flying.— Henry Petroski

2 : capable of understanding or quick to do so : discerning

3 : having awareness or knowledge of something : cognizant

Other Words from apprehensive Synonyms & Antonyms Choose the Right Synonym How has the meaning of apprehensive changed over time? More Example Sentences Learn More about apprehensive

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Choose the Right Synonym for apprehensive

fearful, apprehensive, afraid mean disturbed by fear. fearful implies often a timorous or worrying temperament. the child is fearful of loud noises apprehensive suggests a state of mind and implies a premonition of evil or danger. apprehensive of being found out afraid often suggests weakness or cowardice and regularly implies inhibition of action or utterance. afraid to speak the truth

How has the meaning of apprehensive changed over time?

When Shakespeare wrote in Julius Caesar “And men are flesh and blood, and apprehensive,” he was not using the word apprehensive with the meaning which we so often encounter today (“viewing the future with anxiety or alarm”). The Bard was using the word’s older meaning of “capable of understanding or quick to do so” or “showing insight and understanding.” Apprehensive has shifted its meaning considerably in the seven hundred or so years it has been inhabiting our language. Its earliest meanings had to do with apprehension, to be sure, but it was apprehension meaning “the act of learning,” (a sense that is now obsolete) or “the act or faculty or grasping with the intellect.” The words apprehensive and apprehension both have roots in the Latin words prehendere meaning “to seize.”

Examples of apprehensive in a Sentence

When the Crossroads Rhode Island social services agency switched to a 401(k) retirement plan from a pension last year, it added a feature that made some employees apprehensive. To ensure that as many employees as possible saved for retirement, the Providence nonprofit chose to automatically enroll all its workers into the 401(k) plan and deduct a minimum of 4 percent from their paychecks. — Andrew Caffrey, Boston Sunday Globe, 2 Oct. 2005 … Sargent, a shrewder character, was apprehensive about how the portrait would be viewed by the conventional crowds for whom a day out at the Salon was a social fixture in the Paris calendar. He was right. The public saw nothing lovely in this pallid, long- nosed woman with her prominent chin and superior smile. — Miranda Seymour, New York Times Book Review, 28 Sept. 2003 I arrived at my first Lamaze class the same way I showed up for my baby showers and ob-gyn appointments: a little excited, a little apprehensive, but mostly obediently, because it's what you're supposed to do when you're pregnant. — Paula Spencer, Parenting, April 1997 I'm fully apprehensive of the options, I assure you.

Recent Examples on the Web Beth and Frank continue to bond, though Frank is clearly apprehensive about going home. — Bill Goodykoontz, Detroit Free Press, "Warm ‘Uncle Frank’ offers glimpse of gay life half a century ago," 26 Nov. 2020 Recent surveys show that women are more apprehensive about vaccination than men, with Black Americans the most hesitant group by race. — New York Times, "Trump Administration Plans a Rushed Effort to Encourage Americans to Be Vaccinated," 13 Dec. 2020 They're aided by the school's progressive principal (Keegan-Michael Key), an avid Broadway fan, and less so by Emma's girlfriend (Ariana DeBose), who is more apprehensive about coming out. — Brian Lowry, CNN, "'The Prom' unleashes its stars in an infectious, high-energy musical," 10 Dec. 2020 Beth and Frank continue to bond, though Frank is clearly apprehensive about going home. — Bill Goodykoontz, The Arizona Republic, "'Uncle Frank' is a prime example of glossy family drama from Alan Ball of 'Six Feet Under'," 25 Nov. 2020 The riots that came later, in Watts, Detroit, and elsewhere, provoked a more apprehensive response. — Kyle Sammin, Washington Examiner, "The Real Majority at 50," 12 Nov. 2020 Federal Defenders of San Diego, which provides public defense services, is more apprehensive. — Kristina Davis, San Diego Union-Tribune, "Got jury duty? Here’s what to expect in San Diego federal court," 25 Aug. 2020 Tyson sounded apprehensive about making a prediction in light of the restrictions. — Josh Peter, USA TODAY, "Mike Tyson says psychedelic drug 'told me to come back and start getting in shape'," 28 Nov. 2020 Even those who would rather avoid their families, though, might be feeling apprehensive about spending the actual holiday alone. — Elizabeth Gulino, refinery29.com, "How To Spend Thanksgiving Alone & Love Every Minute," 17 Nov. 2020

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'apprehensive.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.