trepidation
Americannoun
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tremulous fear, alarm, or agitation; perturbation.
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Archaic. trembling or quivering movement; tremor.
noun
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a state of fear or anxiety
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a condition of quaking or palpitation, esp one caused by anxiety
Other Word Forms
- trepidatious adjective
- trepidatiously adverb
Etymology
Origin of trepidation
First recorded in 1600–10; from Latin trepidātiōn- (stem of trepidātiō ), equivalent to trepidāt(us) (past participle of trepidāre “to hurry, panic, alarm” + -iōn- noun suffix; trepid, -ate 1, -ion
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.
With great trepidation, I began to search for French news articles about the death of Quentin Deranque.
From Salon • Mar. 28, 2026
Despite my cat trepidation, I saw him again, just to make sure my first-date magic wasn’t a fluke.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 13, 2026
That is why Friday's last 16 draw will bring eager anticipation rather than trepidation as former Newcastle striker Dwight Gayle knows better than most.
From BBC • Feb. 24, 2026
“We still are challenged by the trepidation that marketers might have about hiring an agency in Omaha—marketers thinking that intelligence and creativity are geo-specific,” he said.
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 17, 2026
The next morning he entered his office in trepidation and waited to see what would happen.
From "Catch-22" by Joseph Heller
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.
