trepidation
Americannoun
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trepidations
plural
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tremulous fear, alarm, or agitation; perturbation.
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Archaic. trembling or quivering movement; tremor.
noun
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a state of fear or anxiety
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a condition of quaking or palpitation, esp one caused by anxiety
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of trepidation
First recorded in 1600–10; from Latin trepidātiōn- (stem of trepidātiō ), equivalent to trepidāt(us) (past participle of trepidāre “to hurry, panic, alarm” + -iōn- noun suffix; see trepid, -ate 1, -ion
Explanation
When plain old "fear" isn't enough to get across a deep feeling of dread about something on the horizon, use the more formal word trepidation. "It was with a certain trepidation that I attended an advance screening of Rob Zombie's Halloween in Hollywood last night," wrote a film reviewer. Some dictionaries note that trepidation carries connotations of apprehension about an upcoming threat. In most cases, though, you can get by with the simpler word fear — why use three syllables when you could make do with one? The word comes from the Latin verb trepidare, "to tremble."
Vocabulary lists containing trepidation
The Crucible
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Words inspired by "Inside Out"
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Grade 10, List 6
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
The only trepidation would’ve been because this was the power-ballad era of all the hair-metal bands.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 14, 2026
The expected rush has caused trepidation for the authorities, who are pleading for caution amid fears that the heavenly phenomenon will unleash hell on the ground.
From Barron's ● Aug. 11, 2026
The Chinese models are causing trepidation at leading U.S.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 21, 2026
But for all of Tom and Anna’s trepidation toward Max, they do little to thwart him from being all up in their business.
From Salon ● Jul. 17, 2026
“No,” said Harry curtly, then, “let’s keep looking,” and he turned away, wishing he had not seen the stone: He did not want his excited trepidation tainted with resentment.
From "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" by J.K. Rowling
Next year, Ravinder and Gita will have been married for half a century, the trepidations of youth dispelled by time.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 25, 2025
I was nervous that he would have trepidations — ‘Oh, I’ve got this sick person on set.’
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 11, 2025
"I had trepidations about coming at all, but I'm glad I did," he says.
From BBC ● May 30, 2023
Were there any trepidations or concerns that you had when publicly coming forward with this story?
From Salon ● Sep. 2, 2022
What trepidations, what anxieties, what feverish fears, assail us when the young ones escape from the restrictions that bound ourselves when we were girls!
From A Word to Women by Mrs. C. E. Humphry
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
