Standard Lemma guide

trepidation

noun · 4 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • Received-Pronunciation, US: /ˌtɹɛp.ɪˈdeɪ.ʃən/
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • Australia: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • CMU ARPABET: T R EH2 P IH0 D EY1 SH AH0 N Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

Anxiety over the uncertain future or possible ill-occurrence.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

Examples

  • I decided, with considerable trepidation, to let him drive my car without me.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: agitation, apprehension, consternation, fear, hesitation, worry

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

An involuntary trembling, sometimes an effect of paralysis, but usually caused by terror or fear.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: quaking, quivering

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

A libration of the starry sphere in the Ptolemaic system; a motion ascribed to the firmament, to account for certain small changes in the position of the ecliptic and of the stars.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, obsolete, uncountable

Topics: astronomy, natural-sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

noun

Meaning 4

a feeling of alarm or dread

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: apprehension, apprehensiveness, dread

History

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin trepidātiō, from trepidō (“be agitated”).

Across languages

Translations

73 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Bulgarian: безпокойство (bezpokojstvo) — fearful state
  • Chinese Cantonese: 驚恐 /惊恐 — fearful state
  • Chinese Cantonese: 驚惶 /惊惶 (ging1 wong4) — fearful state
  • Chinese Cantonese: 不安 — fearful state
  • Chinese Mandarin: 驚恐 /惊恐 (jīngkǒng) — fearful state
  • Chinese Mandarin: 驚惶 /惊惶 (jīnghuáng) — fearful state
  • Chinese Mandarin: 不安 (bù'ān) — fearful state
  • Chinese Mandarin: 憂慮 /忧虑 (yōulǜ) — fearful state
  • Chinese Mandarin: 擔憂 /担忧 (dānyōu) — fearful state
  • Dutch: opwinding — fearful state
  • Dutch: ongerustheid — fearful state
  • Finnish: pelko — fearful state
  • Finnish: huoli — fearful state
  • Finnish: hermostuneisuus — fearful state
  • French: inquiétude — fearful state
  • French: crainte — fearful state
  • French: appréhension — fearful state
  • German: Beklommenheit — fearful state
  • German: Angst — fearful state
  • German: Bangen — fearful state
  • Italian: trepidazione — fearful state
  • Italian: timore — fearful state
  • Italian: preoccupazione — fearful state
  • Italian: insicurezza — fearful state
  • Italian: dubbio — fearful state
  • Italian: incertezza — fearful state
  • Italian: apprensione — fearful state
  • Northern Kurdish: dilgiranî — fearful state
  • Northern Kurdish: nîgeranî — fearful state
  • Latin: trepidatio — fearful state
  • Māori: hopohopo — fearful state
  • Māori: anipā — fearful state
  • Māori: manawapā — fearful state
  • Plautdietsch: Angst — fearful state
  • Polish: obawa — fearful state
  • Polish: trwoga — fearful state
  • Portuguese: trepidação — fearful state
  • Portuguese: ansiedade — fearful state
  • Portuguese: receio — fearful state
  • Portuguese: tremor — fearful state
  • Portuguese: perturbação — fearful state
  • Portuguese: tremura — fearful state
  • Portuguese: agitação — fearful state
  • Portuguese: apreensão — fearful state
  • Romanian: trepidație — fearful state
  • Romanian: trepidare — fearful state
  • Russian: беспоко́йство (bespokójstvo) — fearful state
  • Russian: трево́га (trevóga) — fearful state
  • Serbo-Croatian: неспокој (nespokoj) — fearful state
  • Spanish: preocupación — fearful state
  • Spanish: duda — fearful state
  • Spanish: aprensión — fearful state
  • Spanish: ansiedad — fearful state
  • Spanish: inquietud — fearful state
  • Spanish: desazón — fearful state
  • Spanish: azoramiento — fearful state
  • Spanish: trepidación — fearful state
  • Swedish: bävan — fearful state
  • Swedish: oro — fearful state
  • Turkish: korku — fearful state
  • Turkish: telaş — fearful state
  • Bulgarian: треперене (treperene) — involuntary trembling
  • Chinese Mandarin: 顫抖 /颤抖 (chàndǒu) — involuntary trembling
  • Chinese Mandarin: 發抖 /发抖 (fādǒu) — involuntary trembling
  • Dutch: beving — involuntary trembling
  • Finnish: vapina — involuntary trembling
  • French: trépidation — involuntary trembling
  • German: Zittern — involuntary trembling
  • German: Erbeben — involuntary trembling
  • Chinese Mandarin: 顫動 /颤动 (chàndòng) — libration of the starry sphere
  • Finnish: trepidaatio — libration of the starry sphere
  • French: trépidation — libration of the starry sphere
  • German: Trepidation — libration of the starry sphere