Synonyms for apprehension
Synonyms by meaning
Noun
1. Misgiving — the awareness of something Anticipation, especially of unfavorable things such as dread or fear or the…
misgiving, anxiety, dread, fear, feer US, fere UK, uneasiness, anticipation, disquiet, concern, solicitude, vexation, worry, qualm, suspense, care, apprehensiveness, disquietude, unease, disturbance
2. Understanding — the awareness of something The faculty by which ideas are conceived or by which perceptions are grasped…
sense, understanding, knowledge, perception, awareness, idea, intelligence, consciousness, sentiment, conception, notice, intellect, comprehension, discernment, savvy informal, intellection, cognizance, cognisance UK, wit
4. Capture — the taking of something. The act of seizing or taking by legal process; arrest
Other
suspicion, trepidation, notion, alarm, distrust, seizure, diffidence, dismay, supposition, detention, opinion, view
Definitions
- n. 1
The taking of something. The act of seizing or taking by legal process; arrest.
- n. 2
The awareness of something The faculty by which ideas are conceived or by which perceptions are grasped; understanding.
- n. 3
The awareness of something Anticipation, especially of unfavorable things such as dread or fear or the prospect of something unpleasant in the future.
- n. 4
The taking of something. The physical act of seizing or taking hold of (something); seizing.
The wing would have been a severe obstruction to apprehension of an object on the ground.
Related words
- Is a kind of
- anticipation doubt dread fear uneasy
Forms
- Plural
- apprehensions → misgivings, anxieties, dreads, fears…
Choose the right word
Expectation may be either of good or evil; presentiment almost always, apprehension and foreboding always, of evil; anticipation and antepast, commonly of good.
J. C. Fernald, English Synonyms and Antonyms (1914)
Example sentences
- anxiety I'm having an anxiety attack and I don't know why.
- uneasiness He took a deep breath and tried to put his uneasiness to rest.
- misgiving Tom's misgiving has come true.
- knowledge Anna married without the knowledge of her parents.
- understanding The mystery of life is beyond human understanding.
Popularity over time
| Word | 1850 → 2019 | Trend |
|---|---|---|
| apprehension | steady | |
| anxiety | rising | |
| uneasiness | steady | |
| disquiet | rising | |
| misgiving | steady | |
| knowledge | rising |
Use in printed books, per decade from 1850 to 2019.
By length
- 3 letters
- wit1
- 4 letters
- care1, idea3, view1, fear1, fere, feer
- 5 letters
- sense1, catch1, worry2, alarm2, pinch1, dread1, savvy2, qualm
- 6 letters
- taking2, notice2, arrest2, notion2, collar2, dismay2, unease2
- 7 letters
- opinion3, concern2, anxiety4, capture2, seizure2
- 8 letters
- catching2, suspense2, distrust2, disquiet3, vexation
- 9 letters
- knowledge2, awareness3, sentiment3, suspicion3, detention3, intellect3, misgiving3
- 10 letters
- perception3, conception3, uneasiness4, cognizance3, solicitude4, diffidence, cognisance
- 11 letters
- disturbance3, discernment3, trepidation4, supposition4, disquietude
- 12 letters
- intelligence4, anticipation5, intellection
- 13 letters
- understanding4, consciousness3, comprehension4
The small number after each word is its number of syllables (idea3 = 3 syllables).
In other languages
- Français
- appréhension
- Italiano
- intelligenza
- Español
- aprehensión
- Deutsch
- Verständnis
- Català
- aprensió