Qualm

Noun

Definition: A feeling of unease or doubt about an action, decision, or situation.

Definition: A sudden feeling of sickness or faintness.

Synonyms: Hesitation, Doubt, Misgiving

Antonyms: Certainty, Confidence, Assurance

Examples:

She had a qualm about accepting the job offer without knowing more about the company.
He suddenly felt a qualm of nausea after eating the spoiled food.

Mnemonics:

"Qualm" sounds similar to "calm" but with an added "qu" which can represent doubt or uncertainty.
Think of having a "qualm" as feeling queasy or sick about something.

Etymology:

Origin:

Late Middle English (originally in the sense ‘death, plague, or pestilence’): from Old English cwealm ‘violent death’, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch and German qualm ‘sickness or poison’.

Historical Usage:

The word originally referred to a violent death or plague before evolving to mean a feeling of unease or sickness.

Related Idioms:

Idiom:

"Have no qualms about"

Explanation:

To have no doubts or hesitations about something.

Misconceptions:

Misconception:

Assuming the word only refers to a feeling of temporary sickness.

Explanation:

While it can refer to a sudden feeling of sickness, it primarily means a feeling of doubt or unease.