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uneasy or fearful about something that might happen:
apprehensive for the safety of the mountain climbers.
quick to learn or understand.
perceptive; discerning (usually followed by of).
historical examples

in ninety-nine cases out of a hundred, the apprehensiveness of women is quite gratuitous.
the marble faun, volume ii. nathaniel hawthorne

for all its apprehensiveness, a sickly grin ran round the group.
haviland’s chum bertram mitford

too much of any good thing makes it over-common, blunts the appet-te and dulls the apprehensiveness of the reader.
the square of sevens e. irenaeus stevenson

even now, she knew that her shoulders were contracted with apprehensiveness.
coquette frank swinnerton

but i am inclined to think that this apprehensiveness was const-tutional.
recollections and impressions octavius brooks frothingham

and yet he had just been taking credit for his own freedom from apprehensiveness!
the pretty lady arnold e. bennett

her voice was politely remonstrative, with a note of apprehensiveness for the welfare of her mistress.
the ghost breaker charles g-ddard

and now, not without a bit of apprehensiveness, he let it out.
the skipper and the skipped holman day

but his hugeness could not quite overcome his apprehensiveness.
the sea-wolf jack london

but i soon discovered the cause of the sound, and laughed at my own apprehensiveness.
the portent and other stories george macdonald

adjective
fearful or anxious
adj.

late 14c., “capable of perceiving, fitted for mental impression,” from medieval latin apprehensivus, from latin apprehensus, past participle of apprehendere (see apprehend). meaning “fearful of what is to come” is recorded from 1718, via notion of “capable of grasping with the mind” (c.1600). related: apprehensively; apprehensiveness.