apprehension
Americannoun
-
apprehensions
plural
-
anticipation of adversity or misfortune; suspicion or fear of future trouble or evil.
- Synonyms:
- suspicion, uneasiness, worry, alarm
- Antonyms:
- tranquility, composure
-
the faculty or act of apprehending or understanding; perception on a direct and immediate level.
-
acceptance of or receptivity to information without passing judgment on its validity, often without complete comprehension.
-
a view, opinion, or idea on any subject.
-
the act of arresting; seizure.
Police apprehension of the burglar was aided by two alert teenagers.
- Synonyms:
- capture
- Antonyms:
- release
noun
-
fear or anxiety over what may happen
-
the act of capturing or arresting
-
the faculty of comprehending; understanding
-
a notion or conception
Synonym Usage
Apprehension, anxiety, misgiving imply an unsettled and uneasy state of mind. Apprehension is an active state of fear, usually of some danger or misfortune: apprehension before opening a telegram. Anxiety is a somewhat prolonged state of apprehensive worry: anxiety because of a reduced income. Misgiving implies a dubious uncertainty or suspicion, as well as uneasiness: to have misgivings about the investment.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of apprehension
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, from Old French, from Late Latin apprehēnsiōn-, stem of apprehēnsiō, from apprehēns(us) “grasped” (past participle of apprehendere “to grasp”; see apprehend) + -iō -ion
Explanation
Apprehension is fear or anxiety about something, like the apprehension you feel about an upcoming test. Apprehension is also the capture of a criminal — that is, when the criminal is apprehended. Finally, apprehension can mean one's understanding of an idea. Get it? Given the crook's record of evading arrest, the chief had real apprehensions about being able to catch him. Eventually though, she activated the whole police force in an effort to ensure the crook's apprehension. And it paid off! They caught him red-handed. But it wasn't until he saw the video of the crime in progress that the guy apprehended just how much trouble he was in. It was that apprehension that led him to make a deal with the district attorney.
Vocabulary lists containing apprehension
Lord of the Flies
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
"Of Mice and Men"
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
"To Kill a Mockingbird" by Harper Lee, Chapters 20–25
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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.
See Examples For:
“Is your life always this intense?” she asks, with a mixture of apprehension and attraction.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 23, 2026
“While we understand restaurant-investor apprehension around any food-safety concern, government reports are not citing Taco Bell as the source of the outbreak,” they wrote.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 9, 2026
Not aggression, but apprehension about what what was to come.
From BBC ● Apr. 25, 2026
I remember having a little bit of apprehension because I’ve had a twisty-turny life.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 9, 2026
Mom mistook my confused frown for apprehension as she slipped the book into my bag.
From "Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky" by Kwame Mbalia
And while those apprehensions are examined in the film, they’re never once investigated from Nikki’s point of view.
From Salon ● Jun. 4, 2026
"A lot of the previous limit on contact seems to be due to Pyongyang's apprehensions about broader contact, which have diminished," Chong told AFP.
From Barron's ● Mar. 12, 2026
Border Patrol has still been recording several thousand illegal crossings each month under Trump, with the latest figures showing 6,070 apprehensions at the southwest border in January 2026.
From BBC ● Feb. 25, 2026
But the criminal share of apprehensions has declined as the months have gone on.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 26, 2026
They have dim apprehensions that such propositions as ‘God does not exist’ are somewhat dubious at least in comparison with statements like ‘All carnivorous cows eat meat.’
From "Grendel" by John Gardner
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.
