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
"I'm a little bit anxious - a bit of trepidation - but I just want to get on with it now because it's been a very long, painful fight," she told the BBC.
From BBC • Feb. 21, 2026
Royce Mendes, head of macro strategy at Desjardins Capital Markets, said Macklem is signaling that his hands are tied in addressing the current state of economic trepidation.
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 5, 2026
As I advanced into the interior, parting bushes and brushing branches aside with trepidation, I discovered a rocky landscape covered in vegetation.
From "Flying Through Water" by Mamle Wolo
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.
