trepidation
A nervous, fearful feeling about something that is going to happen.
trepidation in a sentence
- With great trepidation, Omar knocked on the dentist's door.
- Full of trepidation, Lily peered nervously over the edge of the high diving board.
Try an 11+ style question
Verbal reasoning papers often ask about a word like this.
Which word is closest in meaning to trepidation?
- Acourage
- Bconfidence
- Ccalm
- Dfear
Show the answer
D: fear. The other three mean the opposite of trepidation.
Which word is most nearly opposite in meaning to trepidation?
- Aworry
- Bcalm
- Cfear
- Ddread
Show the answer
B: calm. The other three mean nearly the same as trepidation.
Words that mean something similar
fear, worry, dread
Words that mean the opposite
calm, courage, confidence
More words about emotions & feelings
- triumph: A great victory or success.
- turmoil: A state of great confusion and upset.
- twinge: A sudden short pain or unpleasant feeling.
- unnerve: To make someone lose their confidence or feel worried.
- vehement: Showing very strong, forceful feeling.
- vengeance: The act of hurting someone back for what they did to you.
- vex: To annoy or worry someone.
- vicarious: Felt by watching or hearing about what happens to someone else, rather than doing it yourself.
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