Definition of "trepidation" []

• A state of alarm or dread; apprehension. See Synonyms at fear. (noun)
• An involuntary trembling or quivering. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "Because this pervasive trepidation is unprecedented in their lifetime, most Americans have reflexively invoked the Depression in their efforts to comprehend their experience."
• "So, Saturday, I ran up to the local place, armed with a certain trepidation for an inflated price."
• "With that the cub passed out the door in trepidation to the last for fear that Brissenden would hit him in the back with the bottle he still clutched."