misgiving

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noun mis·giv·ing \ -ˈgi-viŋ \

Definition of misgiving

:a feeling of doubt or suspicion especially concerning a future event

Many people have expressed misgivings about his ability to do the job.

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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 of misgiving from the Web

Despite his misgivings, Hensarling didn’t vote against allowing the flood insurance program to borrow more money to pay claims for Sandy victims – but over five dozen Republicans did object in the House to that bill.

— ajc homepage, ajc, "Damage in Texas from Harvey re-opens GOP scabs over Hurricane Sandy relief," 28 Aug. 2017
Alice has deep misgivings but is reassured by the extended Marine family that surrounds her, pledging their love to her and her Jim, and to their family that may come.

— jim proser, National Review, "James Mattis: No Better Friend, No Worse Enemy," 15 Aug. 2017
But some people had misgivings about Strange’s dealings with Bentley.

— kim chandler, The Seattle Times, "Controversial appointment clouds US Senate race in Alabama," 5 Aug. 2017
But some people had misgivings about Strange’s dealings with Bentley.

— Washington Post, "Controversial appointment clouds US Senate race in Alabama," 5 Aug. 2017
In spite of such misgivings, the sport surged in America and Europe.

— austin murphy, SI.com, "Veloci-Rapture: At 200 Years Old, A Look At the Bicycle’s Effect on Health, Sports and Culture," 24 July 2017
The opioid epidemic led to her misgivings with her party's effort to repeal the Affordable Care Act.

— emmarie huetteman, Alaska Dispatch News, "The 3 Republican women who doomed a Senate repeal of the health law," 19 July 2017
Thompson said her husband had misgivings about three officeholders at the time.

— glenn e. rice, kansascity, "Thirty years later, wife of slain KC Democratic leader still hopeful case will be solved," 16 July 2017
But there is even more for those on each side to gain by overcoming their misgivings.

— michael f. cannon, National Review, "Bringing Senate Conservatives and Moderates Together on Health-Care Reform," 10 July 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'misgiving.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of misgiving

1582

misgiving Synonyms

Synonyms

distrust, distrustfulness, dubiety, dubitation [archaic], incertitude, misdoubt, doubt, mistrust, mistrustfulness, query, reservation, skepticism, suspicion, uncertainty

Antonyms

assurance, belief, certainty, certitude, confidence, conviction, sureness, surety, trust

Related Words

disbelief, incredulity, unbelief; anxiety, concern, paranoia, wariness; compunction, niggle [chiefly British], qualm, scruple, tremor

Near Antonyms

credence, faith

MISGIVING Defined for English Language Learners

misgiving

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noun

Definition of misgiving for English Language Learners

: a feeling of doubt about something : a feeling that something might not be right or might not work as planned

MISGIVING Defined for Kids

misgiving

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noun mis·giv·ing \ mis-ˈgi-viŋ \

Definition of misgiving for Students

:a feeling of distrust or doubt especially about what is going to happen

Learn More about misgiving

See words that rhyme with misgiving Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for misgiving Spanish Central: Translation of misgiving Nglish: Translation of misgiving for Spanish speakers

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