misgiving

American

[mis-giv-ing] / mɪsˈgɪv ɪŋ /

noun

Often misgivings. a feeling of doubt, distrust, or apprehension.

Synonyms:

hesitation, mistrust, suspicion

misgiving British

/ mɪsˈɡɪvɪŋ /

noun

(often plural) a feeling of uncertainty, apprehension, or doubt

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Related Words

See apprehension.

Other Word Forms

misgivingly adverb
unmisgiving adjective
unmisgivingly adverb

Etymology

Origin of misgiving

First recorded in 1595–1605; misgive + -ing ¹

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

We get a taste of these Machiavels, who have none of the misgivings about vengeance that will plague Hamlet.

From Los Angeles Times

Reports from the Gulf suggested that some of Washington's allies, including Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Oman, also harbour grave misgivings about the likely impact of US military intervention.

From BBC

But that doesn’t quell the misgivings of some people in the area.

From Los Angeles Times

But overall there are serious misgivings about the US proposals.

From BBC

Ahead of Wednesday’s earnings, Wall Street analysts shared some of their misgivings about the retailer.

From MarketWatch

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023