Meaning & use
feeling apprehensive
Last updated
Meaning
adjectivenot comparable
worried or nervous that something bad might happen
Grammar: Used after linking verbs like 'be', 'feel', 'seem'. Often followed by 'about' + noun or '-ing', or 'that' + clause.
Patterns
- feel apprehensive about something
- feel apprehensive about doing something
- feel apprehensive that ...
She felt apprehensive about the interview and could not sleep.
He was apprehensive that the weather would ruin the trip.
Many students feel apprehensive before their first exam.
Common combinations
- feel apprehensive about
- I feel apprehensive about moving to a new city.
- a bit apprehensive
- She was a bit apprehensive about flying alone.
- apprehensive that
- They were apprehensive that the plan might fail.
Synonyms and how they differ
- nervous
- More common and less formal; it can also mean easily frightened, while 'apprehensive' is only about worry.
- anxious
- Stronger and can suggest physical unease; 'apprehensive' is more about expecting something bad.
- uneasy
- Suggests a mild, vague discomfort rather than a clear worry about a future event.
Opposites
Word family
- apprehension noun
- A feeling of worry about something that may happen.
- apprehensively adverb
- In a worried or nervous way.
Commonly confused: feeling apprehensive or comprehensive?
feeling apprehensive vs comprehensive
'Apprehensive' means worried; 'comprehensive' means complete and covering everything. They sound similar but are unrelated.
Practice
She felt apprehensive ___ the results of the test.
Choose one answer.
The usual preposition after 'apprehensive' is 'about'. 'For' would suggest you are worried on someone's behalf, and 'with' and 'of' do not fit this pattern.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “feeling apprehensive”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.