qualm

UK: /ˈkwɑːm/ US: /kwɑm, kwɔm/ ,(kwäm, kwôm)

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2025

qualm /kwɑm, kwɔm/  n. [countable]

1. an uneasy feeling regarding one's conduct:
   He has no qualms about lying.
2. a sudden feeling of nervousness or fear.

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025

qualm  (kwäm, kwôm), n. 

1. an uneasy feeling or pang of conscience as to conduct;
   compunction:
   He has no qualms about lying.
2. a sudden feeling of apprehensive uneasiness;
   misgiving:
   a sudden qualm about the success of the venture.
3. a sudden sensation or onset of faintness or illness, esp. of nausea.

• origin, originally uncertain 1520–30

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

qualm / kwɑːm/ noun

1. a sudden feeling of sickness or nausea
2. a pang or sudden feeling of doubt, esp concerning moral conduct; scruple
3. a sudden sensation of misgiving or unease

Etymology: Old English cwealm death or plague; related to Old High German qualm despair, Dutch kwalm smoke, stench

ˈqualmish, ˈqualmy adjective