misgiving

noun

mis·​giv·​ing ˌmis-ˈgi-viŋ How to pronounce misgiving (audio)
: a feeling of doubt or suspicion especially concerning a future event
Many people have expressed misgivings about his ability to do the job.

Examples of misgiving in a Sentence

I felt some misgiving about his ability to do the job. They regarded the plan with misgiving.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Yet growing numbers of Americans seem to harbor misgivings about Trump’s age and cognitive abilities. Dhruv Khullar, The New Yorker, 27 Oct. 2024 Gardens of Stone gets an extraordinary performance from James Caan as a career military man who can’t hide his misgivings about the war, and Caan shares a wonderfully salty camaraderie with James Earl Jones as his old Korean War buddy and steadfast superior. Scott Tobias, Vulture, 27 Sep. 2024 Advertisement But the Harris campaign agreed to appear on Fox News in an effort to reach undecided voters who have misgivings about Trump. Stephen Battaglio, Los Angeles Times, 17 Oct. 2024 Yet there are times when that surrender comes with misgivings attached. Stephanie Zacharek, TIME, 11 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for misgiving 

Word History

First Known Use

1582, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of misgiving was in 1582

Dictionary Entries Near misgiving

Cite this Entry

“Misgiving.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/misgiving. Accessed 1 Dec. 2024.

Kids Definition

misgiving

noun
mis·​giv·​ing (ˈ)mis-ˈgiv-iŋ How to pronounce misgiving (audio)
: a feeling of doubt or suspicion especially concerning a future event

More from Merriam-Webster on misgiving

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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