apprehensive

1. anticipate#Verb|Anticipating something with anxiety or fear#Noun|fear.
   • 1719 April 24, [Daniel Defoe], The Life and Strange Surprizing Adventures of Robinson Crusoe, […], London: Printed by W[illiam] Taylor […], OCLC 15864594 ↗; 3rd edition, London: Printed by W[illiam] Taylor […], 1719, OCLC 838630407 ↗, page 28 ↗:

     This convinc'd me that there was no going on Shore for us in the Night upon that Coaſt, and how to venture on Shore in the Day was another Queſtion too; for to have fallen into the Hands of any of the Savages, had been as bad as to have fallen into the Hands of Lyons and Tygers; at leaſt we were equally apprehenſive of the Danger of it.

   • 1888–1891, Herman Melville, “[Billy Budd, Foretopman.] Chapter XI.”, in Billy Budd and Other Stories, London: John Lehmann, published 1951, OCLC 639975898 ↗, pages 256–257 ↗:

     But Claggart's was no vulgar form of the passion. Nor, as directed toward Billy Budd, did it partake of that streak of apprehensive jealousy that marred Saul's visage perturbedly brooding on the comely young David. Claggart's envy struck deeper.

2. Perceptive; quick#Adjective|quick to learn; capable of understanding using one's intellect.
   • 1670, John Milton, History of Britain

     More fond of Miracles, than apprehensive of Truth.

   Synonyms: quick on the uptake

• French: soucieux, appréhensif, inquiet
• German: besorgt
• Portuguese: apreensivo
• Russian: опаса́ющийся
• Spanish: aprensivo, inquieto

• French: vif, perspicace
• Portuguese: apreensivo
• Russian: сообрази́тельный