i Register
In some senses, qualm is marked as archaic, UK. Watch for register when choosing this word.
qualm
UK /kwɑːm/ US /kwɑ(l)m/
noun 5verb 1
Collocations
3ADJ.
english, main
QUALM + NOUN
conscience
PREP.
about
Definitions
noun
1
A feeling of apprehension, doubt, fear etc.
[W]ho vvould not rather Sleep Quietly upon a Hammock, vvithout either Cares in his Head, or Crudities in his Stomach, then lye Carking upon a Bed of State, vvith the Qualms and Tvvinges that accompany Surfeits and Exceſs?
"Do you have any particular qualms about leaving Pencey?" / "Oh, I have a few qualms, all right. Sure … but not too many. Not yet, anyway.[…]"
2
A sudden sickly feeling; queasiness.
3
A prick of the conscience; a moral scruple, a pang of guilt.
This lawyer has no qualms about saving people who are on the wrong side of the law.
4
Mortality; plague; pestilence.
5
A calamity or disaster.
verb
1
To have a sickly feeling.
Thesaurus
Synonyms
noun — uneasiness about the fitness of an action
- scruple
- misgiving
noun — a mild state of nausea
- queasiness
- squeamishness
Antonyms
Idioms & Phrases
Example Bank
501
[W]ho vvould not rather Sleep Quietly upon a Hammock, vvithout either Cares in his Head, or Crudities in his Stomach, then lye Carking upon a Bed of State, vvith the Qualms and Tvvinges that accompany
Wiktionary02
"Do you have any particular qualms about leaving Pencey?" / "Oh, I have a few qualms, all right. Sure … but not too many. Not yet, anyway.[…]"
Wiktionary03
Opponents of those privatization plans hoped to use Mr. [Neil] Armstrong's qualms as ammunition to block the White House initiatives, and they asked for more public statements.
Wiktionary04
He did not have any qualm of conscience.
Tatoeba · #105510505
My main qualm about the English language is its unmathematical and awkward orthography.
Tatoeba · #9015767Usage Notes
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