qualms

noun

plural of qualm
as in doubts
an uneasy feeling about the rightness of what one is doing or going to do she has no qualms about downloading pirated music files from the Internet

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of qualms The Oklahoma City Thunder have no qualms with the second apron. — Fred Katz, New York Times, 24 July 2026 Lopez has expressed his qualms with Belichick’s militant locker room culture. — Noah Vinsky july 17, Charlotte Observer, 17 July 2026 One of his qualms was the price, which is moot considering this $490 discount from Dell. — Kelsey Fogarty, PC Magazine, 16 July 2026 Despite Egypt and Iran’s qualms about any representation of Pride symbols from fans in the stands, FIFA permitted attendees to wear rainbow gear. — Deasia Paige, AJC.com, 15 July 2026 While the top British regulator has expressed qualms too, signaling a possible review that could delay the process, Paramount has won approval from the Justice Department and many regulators abroad. — David Folkenflik, NPR, 13 July 2026 Strong-willed and fearless, Laura has no qualms about asking questions and walking to the beat of her own drum. — Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 9 July 2026 But his qualms weren’t about the level of destruction in Gaza or the high civilian toll, both of which drew global outrage. — Sam Metz, Los Angeles Times, 30 June 2026 Smith's qualms stemmed from the massive requirements for the presidential visit, which shut down surrounding streets near Madison Square Garden and forced police to clear out outdoor watch parties. — Alejandro Avila Outkick, FOXNews.com, 12 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for qualms
  1. doubts
  2. objections
  3. misgivings
  4. compunctions
  5. scruples
Noun
  • Gulf states push China to restrain Iran Gulf states are pushing for China to rein in Iran as doubts grow about the US’ ability to end the five-month conflict.
    — semafor.com, semafor.com, 3 Aug. 2026
  • Early today, the Pisces Moon may stir private doubts or behind-the-scenes frustration as Venus highlights work and wellness .
    — Tarot.com, Chicago Tribune, 2 Aug. 2026
Definition of doubts
Noun
  • The letter by Raskin and colleagues raises numerous objections to the concept of morphing three affordable courses used by golfers of all levels into a more expensive course designed for professionals.
    — Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 3 Aug. 2026
  • By Elisabeth Zerofsky How the late-night host won comedy’s biggest prize — despite the White House’s objections.
    — Daniel Bergner Elisabeth Zerofsky Benoit Denizet-Lewis David Marchese Charles Homans Kwame Anthony Appiah Sophie Haigney Chris Almeida Ismail Muhammad John Hodgman, New York Times, 1 Aug. 2026
Definition of objections
Noun
  • Even Ringwald spoke at length about her misgivings about the film’s problematic elements in a 2018 NPR interview.
    — Al Shipley, SPIN, 4 Aug. 2026
  • The opposition Labour Party voted through the bill, despite members’ misgivings.
    — Amarachi Orie, CNN Money, 3 Aug. 2026
Definition of misgivings
Noun
  • Johnson clearly felt no such compunctions.
    — The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 4 June 2026
  • Russia and Ukraine show no compunctions about killing the civilians of their enemy.
    — Oded J K Faran, Oc Register, 21 Oct. 2025
Definition of compunctions
Noun
  • Still, there are some smart, well-meaning voices of caution who warn Democrats against forgetting their scruples.
    — Clarence Page, Chicago Tribune, 15 June 2026
  • The people of every commune knew and feared those like him — stern figures in black whose ideological devotion appeared to outweigh any moral scruples.
    — Matthew Campbell, Bloomberg, 22 May 2026
Definition of scruples

Browse Nearby Words

qualmishness
qualms
qualmy
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Qualms.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/qualms. Accessed 7 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on qualms

Nglish: Translation of qualms for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of invidious

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

'Sneaked' or 'Snuck': Which is correct?

Why does English have so many silent letters?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Words of the Week - Aug. 7

How long is a jiffy?
See More

Popular

See More

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

The Longest Long Words List

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
asap street sign
Figure Out These Acronyms ASAP You don't have to be a NASA engineer to get these...
See All