trepidatious

adjective

trep·​i·​da·​tious ˌtre-pə-ˈdā-shəs 

variants or less commonly trepidacious

: feeling trepidation : apprehensive

Within a couple of minutes of coming "on stage" she had an immediate rapport with the studio audience, discussing with candor what sort of questions they might have, and had the whole session in hand and us trepidatious panelists at ease.

—Malcolm S. Forbes

trepidatiously adverb

Examples of trepidatious in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Burnout among American workers has jumped to a six-year high, according to a recent study, as employees continue to feel overworked and trepidatious about their employment opportunities elsewhere. —Hugh Cameron, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 Oct. 2025

In this trepidatious if not fearful marketplace, what are buyers looking for right now? —Mikey O'Connell, HollywoodReporter, 7 Aug. 2025

While some investors and real estate professionals are trepidatious, supporters argue that his policies aim to address long-standing affordability challenges in New York City by increasing access to housing and strengthening tenant protections. —Abby Montanez, Robb Report, 15 July 2025

Though trepidatious, Williams opted for the surgery. —Kayla Greaves, SELF, 3 July 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1904, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for trepidatious

• diatomaceous
• unostentatious
• arenaceous
• argillaceous
• carbonaceous
• contumacious
• coriaceous
• efficacious
• farinaceous
• foliaceous
• membranaceous
• ochraceous