apprehensive
A little scared and worried about something that is coming.
apprehensive in a sentence
- Maya was apprehensive about her first day at the new school, twisting her bag strap all morning.
- Standing at the top of the huge water slide, Callum felt apprehensive about the big drop below.
Try an 11+ style question
Verbal reasoning papers often ask about a word like this.
Which word is closest in meaning to apprehensive?
- Aworried
- Bconfident
- Ceager
- Dcalm
Show the answer
A: worried. The other three mean the opposite of apprehensive.
Which word is most nearly opposite in meaning to apprehensive?
- Acalm
- Bfearful
- Cnervous
- Dworried
Show the answer
A: calm. The other three mean nearly the same as apprehensive.
Words that mean something similar
worried, nervous, fearful
Words that mean the opposite
calm, confident, eager
More words about emotions & feelings
- ardent: Full of strong, keen feeling about something.
- arouse: To stir up a feeling, or to wake someone up.
- astonish: To surprise someone very much.
- awe: A feeling of great wonder and respect, sometimes mixed with a little fear.
- bemused: Puzzled and unsure about what is going on.
- bewitch: To put a magic spell on someone, or to completely charm them.
- blissful: Completely and perfectly happy.
- brood: To keep thinking sadly or angrily about something.
More words to explore
Sitting the 11+ in Kent, Medway or Buckinghamshire?
Plain-English guides to each test, from the councils’ own pages: Kent Test · Medway Test · Bucks Secondary Transfer Test