What does qualm mean?
Word: Qualm
Part of Speech: Noun
Meaning: Qualm means a feeling of doubt or unease about whether something you are doing is right. It is most often used in the plural, as in having no qualms about something.
Synonyms: scruple
How do you spell qualm?
Syllables: qualm
Tricky part: The l is silent, so pupils who spell by ear leave it out.
Watch out for: quam, quarm, quaum
Memory tip: Calm and palm also hide a silent l before the m. Keep them together in your mind.
Qualm in a sentence
Example 1: Ravi had no qualms about asking the umpire to check the score.
Example 2: I felt a small qualm as I took the last slice of cake.
Example 3: She lent him her notes without a single qualm.
Fun Fact
Dictionaries still mark this word's beginnings as uncertain. It turned up in English in the 1500s, and nobody has firmly traced its ancestor.
Practise the CREST Way
Spell-o-Spell
One word in the list is misspelt and three are spelt correctly. Choose its meaning.
1. reluctance 2. conscience 3. integrity 4. qwalm
a) unwillingness to do something
b) an uneasy thought about whether an action is fair
c) the quality of being honest and fair
d) the inner sense of right and wrong
Show answer
b) an uneasy thought about whether an action is fair. The opening letters are wrong on this one; English needs its usual pair there, while the other three are fine.
Word Cookie
Find the extra letter in the word:
qualmn
a) n
b) m
c) l
d) a
Show answer
a) n. Solemn and autumn end in mn, but this word stops one letter sooner.
Mingle-Mangle
Rearrange the jumbled letters in the sentence to form a word:
Anu had a sudden aqmlu about leaving her little brother to walk home alone.
a) quibble
b) query
c) qualm
d) quarrel
Show answer
c) qualm. Five letters are jumbled here, with an m and an a, so only one choice can be made.
Word Connection
Choose the synonym of the word qualm as used in the sentence:
Before signing up for the mountain trek, Ishan felt a qualm about missing his sister's recital.
a) thrill
b) misgiving
c) remedy
d) shortcut
Show answer
b) misgiving. Ishan is uneasy about his choice, and a misgiving is just such a feeling.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. Reena has no qualms about speaking at the start of the debate. What does this tell us?
a) she has not prepared properly
b) she would rather go after the others
c) she has been told not to do it
d) she is quite happy to do it
Show answer
d) she is quite happy to do it
2. A shopkeeper feels qualms about selling stale biscuits. What is troubling him?
a) whether the biscuits are the right size
b) whether the supplier will call on Tuesday
c) whether the packets will fit the shelves
d) whether it is honest to sell them
Show answer
d) whether it is honest to sell them
