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
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.
State leaders need to be fiscally responsible, but they’ll increase the funding for teachers and state employees – if they can, according to House Majority Leader Lee Qualm.
From Washington Times • Jan. 20, 2020
House Majority Leader Lee Qualm said Noem’s first session as governor went very well for her.
From Washington Times • Mar. 17, 2019
The almost entirely live jams of her new album, Qualm, are the best attempt yet to bottle that lightning; they are likely to push her into clubland’s big league.
From The Guardian • Jul. 20, 2018
Qualm is proudly straightforward, “a kind of strong, weird, one-drum-machine-and-one-synthesiser thing.”
From The Guardian • Jul. 20, 2018
There he goes I'faith; he seem'd as if he had a Qualm just now; but he never goes without a Dram of Conscience-water about him to set Matters right again.
From Representation of the Impiety and Immorality of the English Stage (1704); Some Thoughts Concerning the Stage in a Letter to a Lady (1704) by Anonymous
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.
