qualm
Americannoun
-
qualms
plural
-
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.
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
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
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
The Catcher in the Rye
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
"To Kill a Mockingbird" by Harper Lee, Chapters 12–15
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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:
"There was never a quibble, never a qualm, there was never a moan", he said.
From BBC ● Sep. 11, 2022
Reading the many threads and blog posts on this topic, it was clear I wasn’t the first person to face this very specific moving qualm.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 25, 2022
The only qualm we have with the Charge 5 is the always-on display.
From The Verge ● Mar. 18, 2022
My usual qualm with the Beyoncé visual experience applies to this one: The people who’ve edited it don’t allow us to savor a single shot for longer than a few seconds.
From New York Times ● Jul. 31, 2020
There was a sick qualm at the pit of Johnny’s stomach.
From "Johnny Tremain" by Esther Hoskins Forbes
He says he had no qualms about publishing.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 21, 2026
Narbé Mansourian — a social studies teacher — had no qualms about separating the players from the politics in the country with the complicated geopolitical — and personal — history.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 16, 2026
Before the tournament, Ghana head coach Carlos Quieroz said he had no qualms over selecting Partey.
From BBC ● Jun. 16, 2026
But “Disclosure Day” makes no qualms about its sanguinity.
From Salon ● Jun. 13, 2026
Bragg felt no qualms that this might impede science, since inquiries to Max and John had revealed nothing original in our approach.
From "Double Helix" by James D. Watson
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.
