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qualmish

 - 2 dictionary results

qualm⋅ish

[kwah-mish, kwaw-]
–adjective
1. tending to have, or having, qualms.
2. nauseous; nauseated.
3. of the nature of a qualm.
4. likely to cause qualms.

Origin:
1540–50; qualm + -ish 1


qualm⋅ish⋅ly, adverb
qualm⋅ish⋅ness, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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qualm   (kwäm, kwôm)   
n.  
  1. A sudden feeling of sickness, faintness, or nausea.

  2. A sudden disturbing feeling: qualms of homesickness.

  3. An uneasy feeling about the propriety or rightness of a course of action.


[Origin unknown.]
qualm'ish adj., qualm'ish·ly adv.
Synonyms: These nouns denote a feeling of uncertainty about the fitness or correctness of an action. Qualm is a disturbing feeling of uneasiness and self-doubt: "an ignorant ruffianly gaucho, who . . . would . . . fight, steal, and do other naughty things without a qualm" (W.H. Hudson).
Scruple is an uneasy feeling arising from conscience or principle about a course of action: "My father's old-fashioned notions boggled a little at first to this arrangement . . . but his scruples were in the end overruled" (John Galt).
Compunction implies a prick or twinge of conscience aroused by wrongdoing or the prospect of wrongdoing: stole the money without compunction.
Misgiving suggests often sudden apprehension: had misgivings about quitting his job.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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