MISGIVING

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 Dictionary entry overview: What does misgiving mean? 

• MISGIVING (noun)
  The noun MISGIVING has 3 senses:

1. uneasiness about the fitness of an action

2. painful expectation

3. doubt about someone's honesty

  Familiarity information: MISGIVING used as a noun is uncommon.

 Dictionary entry details 

• MISGIVING (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

Uneasiness about the fitness of an action

Classified under:

Nouns denoting feelings and emotions

Synonyms:

misgiving; qualm; scruple

Hypernyms ("misgiving" is a kind of...):

anxiety (a vague unpleasant emotion that is experienced in anticipation of some (usually ill-defined) misfortune)

Derivation:

misgive (suggest fear or doubt)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Painful expectation

Classified under:

Nouns denoting cognitive processes and contents

Synonyms:

apprehension; misgiving

Hypernyms ("misgiving" is a kind of...):

expectation; outlook; prospect (belief about (or mental picture of) the future)

Derivation:

misgive (suggest fear or doubt)

Sense 3

Meaning:

Doubt about someone's honesty

Classified under:

Nouns denoting cognitive processes and contents

Synonyms:

distrust; misgiving; mistrust; suspicion

Hypernyms ("misgiving" is a kind of...):

doubt; doubtfulness; dubiety; dubiousness; incertitude; uncertainty (the state of being unsure of something)

 Context examples 

I am sure there is a future state; I believe God is good; I can resign my immortal part to Him without any misgiving.

(Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Brontë)

And here again, I had great misgivings.

(David Copperfield, by Charles Dickens)

Ever since the mysterious visit which had been paid to our camp we always returned to it with some misgivings.

(The Lost World, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

Our reserve of bullion is much larger at present than is usually kept in a single branch office, and the directors have had misgivings upon the subject.

(The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

I have observed that when I wore the semblance of Edward Hyde, none could come near to me at first without a visible misgiving of the flesh.

(The Strange Case Of Dr. Jekyll And Mr. Hyde, by Robert Louis Stevenson)

I looked with misgiving toward the south-west and thought of the six hundred miles of hardship before us—ay, if it were no worse than hardship.

(The Sea-Wolf, by Jack London)

Much struggle it cost him, anxious spirit-questionings and midnight prayings, with many a doubt and a misgiving; but the issue was that ere he had been three days in Castle Twynham he had taken service under Sir Nigel, and had accepted horse and harness, the same to be paid for out of his share of the profits of the expedition.

(The White Company, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

Jim’s misgivings were so far correct that my uncle did very strongly object to any intimacy between us; but there were so many other points in which he disapproved of my conduct, that it made the less difference.

(Rodney Stone, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

I was troubled with no misgiving that it was young in me to respond to her emotions.

(David Copperfield, by Charles Dickens)

His eyes shone and his skin glowed with exuberent health, and he was so confident of success that my own misgivings vanished as I watched his gallant bearing and listened to his quiet and cheerful words.

(Rodney Stone, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)