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
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For its part, the stock market has defied financial fears during recent government shutdowns.—
Max Zahn,
ABC News,
30 Sep. 2025 -
For Jones, that means confronting her childhood fear of clowns.—
Dave Quinn,
PEOPLE,
29 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Nonetheless, Lloyd's production is handsomely realized, with striking silhouetttes courtesy of Jon Clark and unnerving sound design by Ben and Max Ringham, who add a low whirr of dread to the existential fable.—
Patrick Ryan,
USA Today,
29 Sep. 2025
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Jon Clark’s no-place-to-hide lighting unnervingly brightens Beckett’s shadowy world but without losing its sense of dread, allowing both light and dark at the end of this infinite tunnel.—
Frank Rizzo,
Variety,
29 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Powell said a sharp cooldown of hiring over the summer had shifted the balance of risks toward greater concern over the labor market rather than inflation.—
Max Zahn,
ABC News,
30 Sep. 2025
-
Made in Africa is a monthly column by Rolling Stone staff writer Mankaprr Conteh that celebrates and interrogates the lives, concerns, and innovations of cultural workers of the African diaspora from their vantage point.—
Mankaprr Conteh,
Rolling Stone,
29 Sep. 2025
Noun
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But for Apryl Shackelford, those anxieties have been replaced with opportunity.—
Preston Fore,
Fortune,
28 Sep. 2025
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Even your own anxiety may play a part.—
George Petras,
USA Today,
27 Sep. 2025
Noun
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What is the worry for governments and what is the worry for ordinary civilians?—
Jordan King,
MSNBC Newsweek,
28 Sep. 2025
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Fresh data revealed jobless claims far under expectations — suggesting layoffs remain limited and the labor market is holding firm despite Fed worries.—
Benzinga,
Freep.com,
27 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Though when that context is Newcastle’s longer-term top-flight form, then a general feeling of unease is becoming justified.—
Chris Waugh,
New York Times,
29 Sep. 2025
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Despite a growing sense of unease, museum leaders across the country have largely remained silent.—
Jacqui Palumbo,
CNN Money,
28 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Scientists are reshaping quantum uncertainty to sidestep the restriction imposed by the famous Heisenberg uncertainty principle.—
Prabhat Ranjan Mishra,
Interesting Engineering,
25 Sep. 2025
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That approach breaks with decades of precedent, when shutdowns were disruptive but temporary, and has injected new uncertainty into an already tense standoff.—
Nik Popli,
Time,
25 Sep. 2025
Noun
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That apprehension kept him from making big, sweeping changes.—
Tal Shalev,
CNN Money,
29 Sep. 2025
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But Jean has this profound apprehension that something else may have been at play.—
Cressida Leyshon,
New Yorker,
28 Sep. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Apprehensiveness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/apprehensiveness. Accessed 2 Oct. 2025.
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