ISEE/SSAT Vocabulary BuilderWordsQqualm
ISEE/SSAThard
qualm
Meaning: an uneasy doubt about whether an action is right
qualm in a sentence
How qualm is used in real sentences:
She felt a qualm about accepting credit for work she had not done.
A sudden qualm made him hesitate before repeating the harmful rumor.
“His myopic proposal troubled engineer Inés Valera, who felt a qualm about rebuilding above neighborhoods already crushed by falling stone.”
— from the passage The Northern Channel
Synonyms for qualm
Other words for qualm — misgiving, scruple and unease — carry the same meaning.
- misgiving
- scruple
- unease
Antonyms of qualm
Words that mean the opposite of qualm:
- confidence
- certainty
- assurance
Where it comes from
From an old Germanic root associated with torment or anguish.
Memory hook
QUALM sounds like 'calm' with a quiver: a moral doubt disturbs your calm.