misgiving
Americannoun
noun
Synonym Usage
See apprehension.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of misgiving
Explanation
If you have misgivings about something, it means you're worried that it's not a good idea. Trying to fall asleep the night before a test, you might have misgivings about having studied so little. Misgivings are feelings of doubt you experience about something before you do it. As you get closer to the time you actually get on the airplane, you might begin to have misgivings about traveling far away to go to college, or you might have misgivings about joining the army to pay for your education.
Vocabulary lists containing misgiving
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The Crucible
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A Raisin in the Sun
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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.
See Examples For:
Despite their misgiving, both Lancaster and Wilson publicly urged their colleagues to ratify the tentative agreement, saying that rejecting it wouldn’t lead to better outcomes.
From Seattle Times ● Nov. 29, 2023
And it was my primary misgiving about the entire project, right?
From Salon ● May 29, 2022
He seems to have understood everything from varieties of sword to species of misgiving.
From Washington Post ● Sep. 8, 2021
“This is exactly what they wanted, which is my biggest misgiving about leaving,” Ms. Levin said.
From New York Times ● Dec. 22, 2017
Sarai felt a tremor of misgiving for having opened the door to her secret.
From "Strange the Dreamer" by Laini Taylor
But many women who have become first lady of California and the nation have expressed misgivings about taking on such a role.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 7, 2026
With five months to go before the general election, there’s plenty of time for Platner to soothe any misgivings and re-up his promise to fight for the Maine working class.
From Slate ● Jun. 5, 2026
Even some within the ATF had misgivings, worrying that the policy would strain the agency’s relations with law-abiding dealers and make them less likely to offer alerts on suspicious behavior by buyers.
From Salon ● Jun. 2, 2026
Despite her initial misgivings, Karina now plans to have as many surrogate babies as her body will allow to save up to buy a home.
From BBC ● May 7, 2026
But, despite his misgivings, he said he would not stand in my way.
From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela
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.