apprehensive

Valid in Scrabble

Scrabble points
22
Words With Friends
25
Letters
12
Pronunciation
/ˌæpɹɪˈhɛnsɪv/

Definition of apprehensive

3 senses · 2 parts of speech · etymology included

adj

  1. Anticipating something with anxiety, fear, or doubt; reluctant.
    “This convinc'd me that there was no going on Shore for us in the Night upon that Coaſt, and how to venture on Shore in the Day was another Queſtion too; for to have fallen into the Hands of any of the Savages, had been as bad as to have fallen into the Hands of Lyons and Tygers; at leaſt we were equally apprehenſive of the Danger of it.”
    “But Claggart's was no vulgar form of the passion. Nor, as directed toward Billy Budd, did it partake of that streak of apprehensive jealousy that marred Saul's visage perturbedly brooding on the comely young David. Claggart's envy struck deeper.”
    “Never before in his life had Dan Holland feared anything, but now he was apprehensive for the safety of this trim blond creature before him.”
See all 3 definitions

adj

  1. Anticipating something with anxiety, fear, or doubt; reluctant.
    “This convinc'd me that there was no going on Shore for us in the Night upon that Coaſt, and how to venture on Shore in the Day was another Queſtion too; for to have fallen into the Hands of any of the Savages, had been as bad as to have fallen into the Hands of Lyons and Tygers; at leaſt we were equally apprehenſive of the Danger of it.”
    “But Claggart's was no vulgar form of the passion. Nor, as directed toward Billy Budd, did it partake of that streak of apprehensive jealousy that marred Saul's visage perturbedly brooding on the comely young David. Claggart's envy struck deeper.”
    “Never before in his life had Dan Holland feared anything, but now he was apprehensive for the safety of this trim blond creature before him.”
  2. (obsolete)Perceptive; quick to learn; capable of understanding using one's intellect.
    “More fond of Miracles, than apprehensive of Truth.”

noun

  1. (uncountable)A mood indicating an undesired outcome.
    “In 16.66 the non-visual apprehensive is used with the third-person.”

Definitions from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA.

Etymology

From Latin apprehensīvus, from apprehensus, perfect passive participle of apprehendō (“to apprehend, understand, learn”) + -īvus (“-ive”).

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