apprehensive

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ap·pre·hen·sive

(ăp′rĭ-hĕn′sĭv)

adj.

1. Anxious or fearful about the future; uneasy: was apprehensive before the surgery.

2. Archaic Capable of understanding and quick to apprehend.

ap′pre·hen′sive·ly adv.

ap′pre·hen′sive·ness n.

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

apprehensive

(ˌæprɪˈhɛnsɪv)

adj

fearful or anxious

ˌappreˈhensively adv

ˌappreˈhensiveness n

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

ap•pre•hen•sive

(ˌæp rɪˈhɛn sɪv)

adj.

1. uneasy or fearful about something that might happen.

2. quick to learn or understand.

3. perceptive; discerning.

[1350–1400; Middle English < Medieval Latin]

ap`pre•hen′sive•ly, adv.

ap`pre•hen′sive•ness, n.

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

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Adj.	1.	apprehensive - quick to understand; "a kind and apprehensive friend"- Nathaniel Hawthorne discerning perceptive - having the ability to perceive or understand; keen in discernment; "a perceptive eye"; "a perceptive observation"
	2.	apprehensive - mentally upset over possible misfortune or danger etc; "apprehensive about her job"; "not used to a city and worried about small things"; "felt apprehensive about the consequences" worried uneasy - lacking a sense of security or affording no ease or reassurance; "farmers were uneasy until rain finally came"; "uneasy about his health"; "gave an uneasy laugh"; "uneasy lies the head that wears the crown"; "an uneasy coalition government"; "an uneasy calm"; "an uneasy silence fell on the group"
	3.	apprehensive - in fear or dread of possible evil or harm; "apprehensive for one's life"; "apprehensive of danger" afraid - filled with fear or apprehension; "afraid even to turn his head"; "suddenly looked afraid"; "afraid for his life"; "afraid of snakes"; "afraid to ask questions"

apprehensive

adjective anxious, concerned, worried, afraid, alarmed, nervous, suspicious, doubtful, uneasy, fearful, neurotic, disquieted, foreboding, twitchy (informal), mistrustful, antsy (informal) People are still terribly apprehensive about the future.
confident, assured, composed, at ease, unafraid, nonchalant

Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002

apprehensive

adjective

Filled with fear or terror:

afraid, aghast, fearful, fearsome, funky, panicky.

Regional: afeard, ascared.

Translations

خائِفخائِف، قَلِق

bázlivýznepokojený

bekymretængstelig

ängstlich besorgt

ανήσυχος

aprensivo

pelokas

anxieux appréhensif inquiet

zabrinut

kvíîinn, áhyggjufullur

apprensivo consapevole conscio diffidente sveglio

心配して

불안한

orolig

หวั่นใจ

endişeli

lo lắng

忧虑的

apprehensive

[ˌæprɪˈhensɪv] ADJ → inquieto
I was feeling a little apprehensive → sentía cierta aprensión, me sentía inquieto
he is apprehensive that he might fail the exam → teme or le preocupa suspender el examen
she is apprehensive that some accident might befall her children → teme que or le preocupa que sus hijos puedan tener un accidente
to be apprehensive about sth → estar inquieto por algo
everyone is apprehensive about the ordeals to come → todos están inquietos por los terribles momentos que puedan avecinarse
I'm a bit apprehensive about the trip → el viaje me tiene inquieto
they're a little apprehensive about coming → les inquieta un poco la idea de venir
we were both apprehensive about the reaction of the other players → ambos temíamos la reacción de los otros jugadores
to grow apprehensive → inquietarse
he gave her an apprehensive look → la miró aprensivo or inquieto, le dirigió una mirada de aprensión or inquietud

Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

apprehensive

[ˌæprɪˈhɛnsɪv] adj [person] → inquiet/ète, appréhensif/ive
to be apprehensive of sth [+ consequences] → appréhender qch
to be apprehensive about sth (= fearful) → avoir peur de qch
People are still apprehensive about the future → Les gens ont encore peur de l'avenir.

Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

apprehensive

adj → ängstlich; to be apprehensive of something → etw befürchten; to be apprehensive that … → fürchten, dass …; he was apprehensive about the future → er schaute mit ängstlicher Sorge or verzagt in die Zukunft; to be apprehensive for somebody/about somebody’s safety → sich (dat) → Sorgen um jdn/jds Sicherheit machen

Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

apprehensive

[ˌæprɪˈhɛnsɪv] adj (person) → in apprensione; (expression) → apprensivo/a

Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995

apprehend

(apriˈhend) verb

1. to arrest. The police apprehended the thief.

2. to understand.

ˌappreˈhension (-ʃən) noun

1. fear.

2. understanding.

ˌappreˈhensive (-siv) adjective

anxious; worried. an apprehensive expression.

ˌappreˈhensively adverb

ˌappreˈhensiveness noun

apprehensive

→ خائِف znepokojený bekymret ängstlich ανήσυχος aprensivo pelokas inquiet zabrinut apprensivo 心配して 불안한 ongerust urolig spostrzegawczy apreensivo испытывающий тревогу orolig หวั่นใจ endişeli lo lắng 忧虑的

References in classic literature ?

Somehow I feel apprehensive; I am living, as it were, in a mist.

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But by the flush that showed under the tan of his chum's cheeks the young financial secretary felt pretty certain that Tom was a bit apprehensive of the outcome of Professor Beecher's call on Mary Nestor.

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I know very well that Colonel Brandon is not old enough to make his friends yet apprehensive of losing him in the course of nature.

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"They do, do they?" There was something in the tone that made Tom apprehensive.

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The drums beat, the sound of the trumpets filled the air, the earth trembled under foot, the hearts of the gazing crowd were full of anxiety, some hoping for a happy issue, some apprehensive of an untoward ending to the affair, and lastly, Don Quixote, commending himself with all his heart to God our Lord and to the lady Dulcinea del Toboso, stood waiting for them to give the necessary signal for the onset.

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There is a wide difference, also, between military establishments in a country seldom exposed by its situation to internal invasions, and in one which is often subject to them, and always apprehensive of them.

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"The people suffered much wrong while Sir Edmund Andros ruled over them," continued Grandfather; "and they were apprehensive of much more.

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Stuart was apprehensive there might be a difficulty of subsisting his whole party throughout the winter, he had sent one half back to Astoria, retaining with him only Ross, Montigny, and two others.

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She turned away, and then, as if fearing he might take her words as meant to move him to pity, looked at him with an apprehensive glance of inquiry.

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I could not but wonder at Lys' absence from the table, for she had always been one of the earliest risers in camp; so about nine o'clock, becoming apprehensive lest she might be indisposed, I went to the door of her room and knocked.

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Alert, dilating and contracting, as swift as cautious, and infinitely apprehensive, the pupils vertically slitted in jet into the midmost of amazing opals of greenish yellow, the eyes roved the room.

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I felt rather timid and apprehensive, for she had come to search Humphrey Van Weyden's soul, and Humphrey Van Weyden had nothing of which to be particularly proud since his advent on the Ghost.