Definition of qualm
1
: a feeling of uneasiness about a point especially of conscience or propriety
had no qualms about asking for their help It was about an enduring secular world where people did unspeakable things, seemingly without qualm and without any grave consequences to themselves.— Jim Holt
2
: a sudden feeling of usually disturbing emotion (such as doubt or fear)
I had a qualm of absolute horror, and shuddered; and then the emotion was immediately repressed or suppressed.— Oliver Sacks
3
: a sudden attack of illness, faintness, or nausea
The doctor seemed seized with a qualm of faintness.— Robert Louis Stevenson
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Merriam-Webster unabridged
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Time Traveler for qualm
The first known use of qualm was circa 1530
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