qualm
Americannoun
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an uneasy feeling or pang of conscience as to conduct; compunction.
He has no qualms about lying.
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a sudden feeling of apprehensive uneasiness; misgiving.
a sudden qualm about the success of the venture.
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a sudden sensation or onset of faintness or illness, especially of nausea.
noun
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a sudden feeling of sickness or nausea
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a pang or sudden feeling of doubt, esp concerning moral conduct; scruple
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a sudden sensation of misgiving or unease
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of qualm
First recorded in 1520–30; origin uncertain
Explanation
A qualm is a feeling of uneasiness, or a sense that something you're doing is wrong, and it sounds almost like how it makes your stomach feel. If you had qualms about taking candy from the bulk bins at the store, your conscience probably told you to go back to the cashier and pay. Qualm entered English in the 16th century, with meanings like "doubt" and "uneasiness." Usually a qualm comes from doubt about an action and a feeling that you are doing, or are about to do, something wrong. It isn’t a bad feeling about another person's behavior but about your own. If you have qualms about lying to get into the over-18 dance club, you might decide to follow your gut-check and meet your friends for coffee instead.
Vocabulary lists containing qualm
To Kill a Mockingbird
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The Catcher in the Rye
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"To Kill a Mockingbird" by Harper Lee, Chapters 12–15
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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:
If there’s any qualm in Cosm’s work it’s that at times there could be a tinge more self-control in order to let the film do its work.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 14, 2026
"The very nature of the alleged conspiracy does not state an antitrust claim, and the court therefore has no qualm dismissing with prejudice," she concluded.
From BBC ● Mar. 26, 2026
The only qualm we have with the Charge 5 is the always-on display.
From The Verge ● Mar. 18, 2022
“Their qualm is that Guam is still closed. And if this is the ticket to getting back to work and restimulating the economy, then they want people to get the shot.”
From New York Times ● Aug. 25, 2021
Westley let go of the vine without a qualm, because he had come too far to fail now; failure was not even a problem to be considered.
From "The Princess Bride" by William Goldman
Harry says being around other people making content helped him overcome his qualms about doing it himself.
From BBC ● Jul. 5, 2026
But “Disclosure Day” makes no qualms about its sanguinity.
From Salon ● Jun. 13, 2026
Despite the qualms, many countries don’t want to miss out on the investment either.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 7, 2026
"I don't see why I should have any qualms if people fall for it," he told AFP in an interview in a Tirana cafe.
From Barron's ● Jun. 5, 2026
But Reilly shared none of the medical community’s qualms about Goldman’s findings.
From "Blink" by Malcolm Gladwell
Definitions 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.
