Dictionary.com

apprehensive

[ ap-ri-hen-siv ]
/ ˌæp rɪˈhɛn sɪv /
Save This Word!
See synonyms for: apprehensive / apprehensively / apprehensiveness on Thesaurus.com

adjective
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 by of).
QUIZ
CAN YOU ANSWER THESE COMMON GRAMMAR DEBATES?
There are grammar debates that never die; and the ones highlighted in the questions in this quiz are sure to rile everyone up once again. Do you know how to answer the questions that cause some of the greatest grammar debates?
Question 1 of 7
Which sentence is correct?

Origin of apprehensive

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English word from Medieval Latin word apprehēnsīvus.See apprehensible, -ive

OTHER WORDS FROM apprehensive

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use apprehensive in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for apprehensive

apprehensive
/ (ˌæprɪˈhɛnsɪv) /

adjective
fearful or anxious

Derived forms of apprehensive

apprehensively, adverbapprehensiveness, noun
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
FEEDBACK