SYNONYMS AND RELATED EXPRESSIONS
apprehension
noun
An uneasy expectation that something unpleasant may happen.
Local English device voice, when available. This is not a recorded dictionary pronunciation.
Uneasy anticipation
Closest synonyms
Related words and expressions
These extend or explain the idea and may require a different sentence structure.
Usage distinction
Return to topDread and foreboding suggest a stronger expectation of harm than ordinary uneasiness.
RELATED FORMS, ONE FEATURED ENTRY
The apprehensive family
apprehension is grouped under apprehensive in the main dictionaries. This form keeps its meaning and previous study record.
apprehensiveadjective
Worried that something unpleasant may happen.
Worried about what may happen
Closest synonyms
Related expressions
The new performer was apprehensive about the audition.
On her first evening at a bookbinding class, Mira was apprehensive about joining people who already seemed to know one another.
CHECK THE MEANING IN CONTEXT
See apprehension in use
He felt apprehension before presenting his first proposal.
The volunteers' apprehension grew as they imagined disappointed contributors arriving to find their work absent from the display.
Compare an alternative with the original word in each passage. Shared meanings do not make every pair interchangeable.
Synonym reference scope and sources
The groups distinguish the senses selected for this study entry. Closest synonyms and broader related expressions have separate labels. The listed sources support lexical selection; not every phrase is a direct quotation from a source.
How the synonym reference was prepared / WordNet 3.0 license