APPREHENSIVELY Synonyms: 43 Similar and Opposite Words

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

Adverb

And Northlanders are already anxiously awaiting its grand opening.

— Jenna Ebbers, Kansas City Star, 27 July 2026
And count the Packers among teams waiting anxiously for good news about their recovering star.

— Mike Jones, New York Times, 27 July 2026

Definition of anxiously

Adverb

This oversharing of small details exists uneasily alongside a surprising lack of reflection on the book’s ostensible themes.

— Matthew Walther, The Atlantic, 20 July 2026
Back in Ithaca, his wife, Penelope (Anne Hathaway), and their grown son, Telemachus (Tom Holland), who hasn’t seen his father since childhood, cling uneasily to the hope that Odysseus is alive and on his way home.

— Justin Chang, New Yorker, 17 July 2026

Definition of uneasily

Adverb

The audience — all Christians themselves — darted worried looks to one another, shifting uncomfortably in their seats.

— Lauren Costantino, Miami Herald, 18 July 2026
Resurrection Dex’s Resurrection is an uncomfortably honest and self-critical mixtape about the British rapper attempting to reform his crooked ways.

— Alphonse Pierre, Pitchfork, 17 July 2026

Definition of uncomfortably

Browse Nearby Words

apprehensive

apprehensively

apprehensiveness

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Apprehensively.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/apprehensively. Accessed 29 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of apprehensively

adverb

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

inveigle

Popular in Grammar & Usage

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

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

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

Why does English have so many silent letters?

Your vs. You're: How to Use Them Correctly

Popular in Wordplay

Dutch Treat and French Leave: Eight Place-Based Compounds

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Popular

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

Dutch Treat and French Leave: Eight Place-Based Compounds

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

Games & Quizzes