trepidation
Other forms: trepidations
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."
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Vocabulary lists containing trepidation
This scathing dramatization of the Salem Witch Trials is also an allegory of Senator Joseph McCarthy's pursuit of Communists in the 1950s.
Disney/Pixar's "Inside Out" takes the viewer inside the head of Riley, an 11-year old girl whose emotions are personified by five characters: Joy, Fear, Disgust, Sadness and Anger. In this this list, we have provided 4 synonyms for each of these five emotions, which illuminate the concepts and enhance expressive power by expanding on the broad cover terms used in the film. Here are 20 vocabulary words inspired by "Inside Out."
Thomas wakes up in a strange place with his memories erased, surrounded by people he doesn't know. The only way out is through a shifting, kaleidoscopic maze—and no one has ever reached the end.