misgiving
Americannoun
-
misgivings
plural
noun
Synonym Usage
See apprehension.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of misgiving
Explanation
If you have misgivings about something, it means you're worried that it's not a good idea. Trying to fall asleep the night before a test, you might have misgivings about having studied so little. Misgivings are feelings of doubt you experience about something before you do it. As you get closer to the time you actually get on the airplane, you might begin to have misgivings about traveling far away to go to college, or you might have misgivings about joining the army to pay for your education.
Vocabulary lists containing misgiving
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The Crucible
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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.
See Examples For:
But I had no such misgiving at the Ahmanson, whether because of some slight editing or perhaps just a smoother handling of the setup moments.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 9, 2025
Despite their misgiving, both Lancaster and Wilson publicly urged their colleagues to ratify the tentative agreement, saying that rejecting it wouldn’t lead to better outcomes.
From Seattle Times ● Nov. 29, 2023
And it was my primary misgiving about the entire project, right?
From Salon ● May 29, 2022
The man, identified as Juror 20, was seated on the jury despite one misgiving: He was supposed to get married on May 1 in Florida, when deliberations could still be taking place.
From New York Times ● Mar. 10, 2021
Helene thought about the trip South with heavy misgiving but decided that she had the best protection: her manner and her bearing, to which she would add a beautiful dress.
From "Sula" by Toni Morrison
Any misgivings Stewart had about taking on the Picard role in "Star Trek" were mollified by the thought it would be a one-season failure.
From Barron's ● Oct. 29, 2026
Ahead of a two-night stand at the Hollywood Bowl, the 74-year-old art-rock veteran discusses his love of performance and his misgivings about AI.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 8, 2026
“With that scheduling pressure and overwhelmed by misgivings about getting the abortion—what if I wanted to proceed but couldn’t later?—I took the first of two pills for a chemical abortion.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 30, 2026
There are also misgivings about how Tuchel set up the team during the closing stages of the loss to Argentina.
From BBC ● Jul. 19, 2026
Despite her personal misgivings, Penelope thanked both of the young servants profusely for their willingness to spend their time furthering the children’s education.
From "The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place: Book I: The Mysterious Howling" by Maryrose Wood
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Get a wordDefinitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
