misgiving
English
Etymology
From misgive [1], from mis- + give, from Middle English give (“suggest, given”). Compare given and what gives
Noun
misgiving (plural misgivings)
- doubt, apprehension, a feeling of dread
- 1846-1848, Charles Dickens, Dombey and Son:
- He could think of her being there, without a lurking misgiving that it would have been better if she had not come.
- 1900, Theodore Dreiser, Sister Carrie:
- In the night, or the gloomy chambers of the day, fears and misgivings wax strong, but out in the sunlight there is, for a time, cessation even of the terror of death.
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Usage notes
Almost always used in the plural.
Synonyms
Translations
References
- “misgiving” in Douglas Harper, Online Etymology Dictionary, 2001–2019.
Further reading
- misgiving in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.
- misgiving in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911.
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