qualm

[ kwahm, kwawm ]
/ kwɑm, kwɔm /
SEE SYNONYMS FOR qualm ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

an uneasy feeling or pang of conscience as to conduct; compunction: He has no qualms about lying.
a sudden feeling of apprehensive uneasiness; misgiving: a sudden qualm about the success of the venture.
a sudden sensation or onset of faintness or illness, especially of nausea.

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Origin of qualm

First recorded in 1520–30; origin uncertain

Words nearby qualm

quality point, quality point average, quality time, quality-assure, quality-of-life, qualm, qualmish, quamash, quamin, quamish, quanah
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Words related to qualm

nervousness, anxiety, hesitation, apprehension, twinge, reluctance, unease, misgiving, objection, pang, remorse, disquiet, uneasiness, conscience, compunction, perturbation, regret, agitation, insecurity, uncertainty

Example sentences from the Web for qualm

British Dictionary definitions for qualm

qualm
/ (kwɑːm) /

noun

a sudden feeling of sickness or nausea
a pang or sudden feeling of doubt, esp concerning moral conduct; scruple
a sudden sensation of misgiving or unease

Derived forms of qualm

qualmish, adjectivequalmishly, adverbqualmishness, noun

Word Origin for qualm

Old English cwealm death or plague; related to Old High German qualm despair, Dutch kwalm smoke, stench
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