apprehensive
Americanadjective
-
uneasy or fearful about something that might happen.
apprehensive for the safety of the mountain climbers.
-
quick to learn or understand.
-
perceptive; discerning (usually followed byof ).
adjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of apprehensive
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English word from Medieval Latin word apprehēnsīvus. See apprehensible, -ive
Explanation
If you're apprehensive, you're anxious or fearful. If you live near a busy intersection with no stop signs, you might be a bit apprehensive about crossing the street. Apprehensive is from a Latin word meaning "to seize," and it originally meant "quick to seize impressions or ideas, perceptive, intelligent." Now it means "anticipating something bad, fearful of what may happen." Synonyms are afraid, which suggest a more immediate fear, and fearful, which suggests a more general temperament ("a fearful child"). You can be apprehensive about a situation while being an optimistic and courageous person in general.
Vocabulary lists containing apprehensive
100 Words Every Middle Schooler Should Know
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The Giver
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Essential Academic Vocabulary for High School Students, List 1
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
George Yu, who serves as executive director for Chinatown’s Business Improvement District and owns Far East Plaza, is apprehensive about Gu Grocery’s business trajectory.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 4, 2026
North East Lincolnshire Council says recorded rates of ASB in the ward "are low" when compared with other parts of the area, but recognises "some people will be apprehensive about reporting".
From BBC ● May 20, 2026
It’s my fatherly nudge to do something that they’re a little nervous or apprehensive about, like the double black diamond or even trying a new food.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 4, 2026
Investors appear to be apprehensive about Affirm’s ability to sustain both annual 30% gross-merchandise-volume growth and expand adjusted operating margins, Faucette said.
From Barron's ● Apr. 17, 2026
Apparently while I had been napping the schoolyard had been steadily filling with apprehensive children on their first day of school, many of whom were crying.
From "Kaffir Boy: An Autobiography" by Mark Mathabane
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
