apprehensively

adverb

as in anxiously

Related Words

Relevance

Dissimilar Words

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of apprehensively This show of sweetness fighting back against a sense of hopelessness builds an apprehensively brighter perspective than earlier work. — Craig Jenkins, Vulture, 2 Dec. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for apprehensively
  1. anxiously
  2. uneasily
  3. uncomfortably
Adverb
  • The young magicians hold hands, waiting anxiously as the results are announced.
    — Julie Bourdin, NPR, 25 Oct. 2026
  • Waiting anxiously on the edge of your seat for GTA VI to finally hit your PC?
    — Kelsey Fogarty, PC Magazine, 21 Oct. 2026
Definition of anxiously
Adverb
  • Nouns, verbs, adjectives, and slogans float uneasily near one another in different colors, fonts, and sizes.
    — Alec Mapes-Frances, Artforum, 1 Nov. 2026
  • For protesters, that record sits uneasily besides the prime minister’s denunciation of violence against women.
    — Amrita Basu, The Conversation, 22 Oct. 2026
Definition of uneasily
Adverb
  • The New York Jets coach is struggling in his second season, sitting on a hot seat that gets more uncomfortably toasty with each tough loss.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 2 Nov. 2026
  • Yet that ideal sits uncomfortably alongside the afterlives of slavery and empire.
    — Brooke N. Newman, The Conversation, 29 Oct. 2026
Definition of uncomfortably

Browse Nearby Words

apprehensive
apprehensively
apprehensiveness
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Apprehensively.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/apprehensively. Accessed 4 Nov. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of fulsome

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Great Big List of Beautiful and Useless Words, Vol. 5

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

7 Words for Old-Timey Vehicles

Ten More Words from Taylor Swift Songs

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Great Big List of Beautiful and Useless Words, Vol. 5

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
couple-laugh-cafe
Quiz: Foreign Phrases You Should Know Check out your bona fides and avoid any faux pas.
See All