qualm — a feeling of doubt, hesitation, or uneasiness about the rightness or propriety of a course of action
Part of speech: NOUN
Definition: a feeling of doubt, hesitation, or uneasiness about the rightness or propriety of a course of action
Pronunciation (IPA): /kwɑːm/
Example Sentences
- The politician had no qualms about changing his position for votes.
- I have serious qualms about eating this expired yogurt, but it's the only food left in my fridge.
- She expressed qualms about the company's environmental policies.
qualm
NOUN[/kwɑːm/]
a feeling of doubt, hesitation, or uneasiness about the rightness or propriety of a course of action
He felt a sudden qualm before signing the shady contract.
QU (question) + ALM (alms/charity) — by facing a sharp QU (question) of conscience before stealing the ALM (charity), the thief felt a deep qualm.
Looking at the stolen gold in his palm, he instantly lost his calm and was struck by a heavy qualm.
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🎤Pronunciation
🌳Etymology
Origin
The origin of 'qualm' is uncertain, but it may derive from Old English or Middle Low German, possibly related to 'cwealm' meaning death or pain. It first appeared in English in the 16th century with the sense of a feeling of sickness or uneasiness.
Breakdown
The word does not have a clear morpheme breakdown as it is a monomorphemic word with no identifiable root, prefix, or suffix components that combine to form its meaning.
🎵Rhyme
🔗Collocations
📝Examples
“The politician had no qualms about changing his position for votes.”
“I have serious qualms about eating this expired yogurt, but it's the only food left in my fridge.”
“She expressed qualms about the company's environmental policies.”
“My cat has no qualms about knocking things off my desk at 3 AM.”
📚Related Words
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