apprehension

Language: en

🇺🇸 /ˌæprɪˈhɛnʃən/

📖 Definitions

  1. noun
    The act of seizing or capturing someone, especially by legal authority; arrest.; Anxiety or fear that something bad or unpleasant will happen; a feeling of dread.; The act of understanding or comprehending; grasp of meaning.; The mental faculty of perceiving or grasping concepts or ideas.

🔗 Details

Word forms

countable / uncountable Plural: apprehensions

Collocations

a sense of apprehensionfilled with apprehensioncause apprehensionapprehension aboutapprehension of a suspectgrowing apprehension

Derivatives

apprehendapprehensiveapprehensivelyapprehensiveness

Synonyms

anxietyuneasedreadtrepidationmisgivingfear

Antonyms

confidenceassurancecalm

Commonly confused

comprehension
EN: 'Comprehension' means understanding; 'apprehension' means anxiety/fear or the act of arresting someone.
apprehensive
EN: 'Apprehensive' is the adjective form meaning anxious or fearful; 'apprehension' is the noun.

Spelling tips

EN: Remember the double 'p' and the '-hension' ending (not '-tension' or '-sion'). It shares the root with 'apprehend'.

💬 Examples

  1. The apprehension of the fugitive was carried out by federal agents.

  2. She felt a growing sense of apprehension as the deadline approached.

  3. His apprehension of the complex theory was remarkable for a student his age.

  4. The philosopher wrote extensively about the nature of human apprehension.