apprehensiveap‧pre‧hen‧sive /ˌæprɪˈhensɪv◂/ ●○○ adjective 
Examples
We’d been a little apprehensive about their visit.apprehensive that I was apprehensive that something would go wrong. Some had apprehensive looks on their faces.► see thesaurus at worried—apprehensively adverb: ‘What’s wrong?’ I asked apprehensively.
ExamplesEXAMPLES FROM OTHER DICTIONARIES
Thesaurus- Dr Gottlieb reassures apprehensive patients that the operation is a simple procedure.
- I must admit that before my baby was born I was very apprehensive about motherhood.
- No one need be apprehensive about their personal safety; everything is under control.
- Afterward the architects agreed that they had been very apprehensive about what it would look like.
- Although a little apprehensive at first of steering such a large boat, we settled into it remarkably quickly.
- And she felt just as apprehensive as she always did here.
- Anne waved her off, watching, nervous and apprehensive, from the upstairs window.
- The Secret Service gets apprehensive when people even walk on this part of the colonnade.
- Twenty minutes in his company had left Merrill feeling stretched and apprehensive.
- What were the neighbors and zoning board apprehensive about?
THESAURUS► worried
Collocations not feeling happy or relaxed because you keep thinking about a problem or something bad that might happen: · I was worried that you had forgotten our date.· It’s awful if you are worried about money.· I was so worried that I couldn’t sleep at all.
► anxious worried because you think something bad might happen or has happened. Anxious is more formal than worried, and is often used about a general feeling of worry, when you are not sure what has happened: · A lot of employees are anxious about their jobs.· Anxious relatives waited for news.
► nervous worried or frightened about something you are going to do or experience, and unable to relax: · Everyone feels nervous before an exam.· The thought of going into hospital was making me nervous.
► uneasy a little worried because you feel there may be something wrong and you are not sure what is going to happen: · When she still wasn’t home by midnight, I began to feel uneasy.· The total silence was making me feel uneasy.
► concerned formal worried, usually about a problem affecting someone else or affecting the country or the world: · Many people are concerned about the current economic situation.· Police say that they are concerned for the safety of the missing girl.
► bothered [not before noun] worried by something that happens – often used in negative sentences: · She didn’t seem particularly bothered by the news.
► troubled very worried, so that you think about something a lot: · She fell into a troubled sleep.· a troubled expression· ‘Are you okay, Ben? You look troubled.’
► apprehensive especially written a little worried about something you are going to do, or about the future, because you are not sure what it will be like: · I felt a bit apprehensive about seeing him again after so long.
► stressed (out) informal very worried and tired because of problems, too much work etc, and unable to relax or enjoy life: · He’d been working ten hours a day for ages and was stressed out.· an extremely stressed single mother
Longman Language Activatorfeeling worried► worried not feeling happy or relaxed, because you keep thinking about a problem or about something bad that might happen: · Dave could see how worried she was, and he tried to reassure her.look worried: · You look worried - what's the matter?worried about: · Marion was worried about losing her job. · We're very worried about Grandma.· I'm not really worried about how much it will cost.worried (that): · She rushed to the station, worried that she might miss her train.· I was worried if I washed it, it might shrink.get worried: · I'm getting worried because my account still hasn't registered a check I deposited a while ago.a worried look/frown/glance etc: · She had such a worried look on her face!· Helen looked at me with a worried expression.
► anxious especially written very worried because you think that something bad has happened or may happen, and you feel that you have no control over the situation: · Anxious relatives waited at the airport for news of the plane crash.feel/sound anxious: · She knew it was a simple operation, but she still felt anxious.anxious about: · Helen is always anxious about travelling alone.· When you become anxious about sleeplessness, you actually make the problem worse.an anxious face/voice/expression etc: · "Please come with me," she said in an anxious voice.· Mae cast an anxious look in his direction.
► nervous worried and slightly frightened about something that is going to happen or something new or difficult that you have to do: · I'm always nervous before exams.get nervous: · Mum gets nervous if we don't call to say we're late.look/feel/sound nervous: · Bill looked nervous, and I could see that his hands were shaking.· Harry began to feel nervous again as the plane made its descent.make somebody (feel) nervous: · The sounds outside were making me feel nervous.· Stop tapping your feet! You're making me nervous.nervous about: · Kelly was so nervous about her interview that she couldn't sleep.
► concerned worried about someone else's problems, health, safety etc: · A TV programme about cruelty to children brought hundreds of letters from concerned viewers.concerned about: · I'm very concerned about Veronica. She looks so pale, and she has no appetite.· World governments are becoming increasingly concerned about rising global temperature levels.concerned for: · Rescuers are concerned for the safety of two men trapped in the mine.
► apprehensive formal worried and a little frightened about something that you are going to do or about the future, because you are not sure what it will be like: · Dr Gottlieb reassures apprehensive patients that the operation is a simple procedure. apprehensive about: · I must admit that before my baby was born I was very apprehensive about motherhood.· No one need be apprehensive about their personal safety; everything is under control.
► uneasy worried and not happy with a situation, because you feel there may be something wrong and you are not sure what is going to happen: make somebody uneasy: · When I answered the telephone, no one was there, which made me uneasy.feel uneasy: · After a while she started to feel uneasy, and then scared.uneasy about: · Roger was a bit uneasy about the plan, but he agreed.· 75 percent of consumers said they were uneasy about using their credit cards over the Internet.distinctly uneasy (=very uneasy): · I was distinctly uneasy in his company, but I couldn't explain why.have the/an uneasy feeling: · She had the uneasy feeling that he wasn't going to come back.
► dismayed very worried, disappointed, and upset by something that has happened: · Hardeep's lawyer said his client was 'shocked and dismayed' after hearing the court's decision.dismayed at/by: · American historians are dismayed at the condition of the texts stored in the library.dismayed to see/hear etc: · We were dismayed to discover that our daughter Louise had started experimenting with heroin.dismayed that: · Danby was dismayed that Watt had opposed him in the vote.· Many of the nurses are dismayed that the management intends to make further service reductions.
► not like the look/sound of informal if you do not like the look or sound of something, it makes you feel worried and unhappy because it seems threatening or dangerous: · I don't like the look of that rash on your chest.· The captain's face darkened as he listened. 'I don't like the sound of this,' he said.· Don't let anyone into your home that you don't like the look of.
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE CORPUSADVERB► very
worried or nervous about something that you are going to do, or about the futureapprehensive about/of· This time last year we were very apprehensive about entering a year when so much doom and gloom was being talked about.· Afterward the architects agreed that they had been very apprehensive about what it would look like.· I was very apprehensive - there were very big seas when we started.· The people doing the latter were extremely excited yet also very apprehensive.· But the two ideas were similar enough for Darwin to feel very apprehensive when Wallace's paper arrived.· Many of the Sutton pupils were very apprehensive about their first visit to Russells Hall.· Anyway, she looked very apprehensive after that and asked what I wanted.· Robin-Anne, who had been looking very apprehensive, seemed to go aboard Wavebreaker rather unwillingly.
We’d been a little apprehensive about their visit.apprehensive that I was apprehensive that something would go wrong. Some had apprehensive looks on their faces.► see thesaurus at worried—apprehensively adverb: ‘What’s wrong?’ I asked apprehensively.