qualm

noun

ˈkwäm 

 also  ˈkwȯm,

or

ˈkwälm 

1

: a feeling of uneasiness about a point especially of conscience or propriety

had no qualms about asking for their help

It was about an enduring secular world where people did unspeakable things, seemingly without qualm and without any grave consequences to themselves.

—Jim Holt

2

: a sudden feeling of usually disturbing emotion (such as doubt or fear)

I had a qualm of absolute horror, and shuddered; and then the emotion was immediately repressed or suppressed.

—Oliver Sacks

3

: a sudden attack of illness, faintness, or nausea

The doctor seemed seized with a qualm of faintness.

—Robert Louis Stevenson

qualmy

ˈkwä-mē 

 also  ˈkwȯ-

 or  ˈkwäl-

adjective

Did you know?

Etymologists are not sure how qualm came to be, but early use of the word is for a sudden sick feeling. It then was used for a sudden attack of emotion. Today, qualm usually refers to a feeling of uneasiness, particularly in not following one's conscience or better judgment.

Synonyms

• compunction
• misgiving
• scruple

Choose the Right Synonym for qualm

qualm, scruple, compunction, demur mean a misgiving about what one is doing or going to do.

qualm implies an uneasy fear that one is not following one's conscience or better judgment.

no qualms about plagiarizing

scruple implies doubt of the rightness of an act on grounds of principle.

no scruples against buying stolen goods

compunction implies a spontaneous feeling of responsibility or compassion for a potential victim.

had compunctions about lying

demur implies hesitation caused by objection to an outside suggestion or influence.

accepted her decision without demur

Examples of qualm in a Sentence

He accepted their offer without a qualm.

she has no qualms about downloading pirated music files from the Internet

Recent Examples on the Web

Trump’s conviction shows that some stars have no qualms about making their opinions known on what many considered the most divisive politician in years. —Andrew J. Campa, Los Angeles Times, 31 May 2024

The only qualm with this pizza oven was the difficult setup, which required many screws, legs, and small pieces to put together. —Laura Denby, Peoplemag, 31 May 2024

Editors’ Picks Even coaches at powerful athletic programs, such as the University of Florida, which is part of the Southeastern Conference, had qualms. —Anna Betts, New York Times, 25 May 2024

Cloud computing was becoming the new profit frontier for corporations such as Amazon, Microsoft, Oracle, and Google, which had sloughed off the moral qualms of the Maven episode to bid for a slice of the $9 billion Joint Warfighting Cloud Capability contract. —Andrew Cockburn, Harper's Magazine, 20 Jan. 2024

Word History

Etymology

origin unknown

First Known Use

circa 1530, in the meaning defined at sense 3

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Kids Definition

qualm

noun

ˈkwäm  ˈkwälm 

 also  ˈkwȯm

1

: a sudden attack of illness, faintness, or nausea

2

: a sudden fear

3

: a feeling of doubt or indecision in matters of right and wrong

had qualms about coming home late

qualmy

-ē

adjective