1
as in fear
an uneasy state of mind usually over the possibility of an anticipated misfortune or trouble
her apprehensiveness about starting college is keeping her awake at night
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in dread
suspicion or fear of future harm or misfortune
my apprehensiveness about raw fish disagreeing with me is keeping me from even trying sushi
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for apprehensiveness
Noun
-
Last week, the VIX—Wall Street’s fear gauge—spiked to its highest level since April before easing, amid new trade policy uncertainties.—
Emma Burleigh,
Fortune,
20 Oct. 2025 -
Amazon Web Services suffers widespread outage MAJOR HEADLINES BAYOU MYSTERY – Democrat mayor's 'gaslighting' amid serial killer fears called out by grieving family.—
,
FOXNews.com,
20 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
What a combination of dread and misery.—
Chris Bumbaca,
USA Today,
20 Oct. 2025
-
Following psychic researchers in search of spirits in a New England house with a tragic past, The Haunting trades leering ghouls and jump scares for atmosphere and suggestion, cultivating a cloud of dread that hangs like a heavy blanket over audiences.—
Randall Colburn,
Entertainment Weekly,
18 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
In 2024, the European Union opted to not renew its approval for Sulfuryl Fluoride citing concerns over risks to human health and the environment.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
21 Oct. 2025
-
Duan says this practice is increasingly prevalent within China’s CAE industry, partly to allay clients’ concerns about data security.—
Ni Tao,
Interesting Engineering,
21 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
But last week saw an observable upwelling of anxiety, reflecting a break of the preceding low-volatility climb and some possible pent-up selling from historically elevated equity allocations.—
Michael Santoli,
CNBC,
18 Oct. 2025
-
That anxiety is reflected in the polling.—
Martha McHardy,
MSNBC Newsweek,
18 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Executives and industry watchers say the sector has fared better than expected, but there are now growing worries around the health of consumers and suppliers, CNBC’s Michael Wayland reports.—
Alex Harring,
CNBC,
20 Oct. 2025
-
As the days without their parents pass, their worries grow.—
Maria Santana,
CNN Money,
19 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Dekoda’s appeal will depend on how much users value real-time health insights over the unease of allowing AI into their most private space.—
Aamir Khollam,
Interesting Engineering,
20 Oct. 2025
-
Adding to the unease, JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon warned of rising credit risk during the earnings call, citing the recent bankruptcies of Tricolor Holdings, a subprime auto lender, and First Brands, an auto parts manufacturer.—
Benzinga,
Freep.com,
18 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
All of this explains the wild uncertainty business leaders have experienced in recent months.—
Veronique De Rugy,
Oc Register,
17 Oct. 2025
-
The players, according to sources close to the squad, do not know what to expect with regards to Postecoglou’s future — there is a mood of uncertainty.—
Paul Taylor,
New York Times,
16 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
When Bloomberg’s Lucas Shaw noted apprehension by some that the Ellisons are in league with the president and MAGA on a certain media track, the Par CEO swatted the topic away decisively.—
Dominic Patten,
Deadline,
9 Oct. 2025
-
But Collier said no one else was inside at the time of his apprehension.—
Rachel Treisman,
NPR,
9 Oct. 2025
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.
Cite this Entry
“Apprehensiveness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/apprehensiveness. Accessed 22 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share