Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com
Synonyms

misgive

American  
[mis-giv] / mɪsˈgɪv /

verb (used with object)

misgave, misgiven, misgiving

  1. (of one's mind, heart, etc.) to give doubt or apprehension to.

verb (used without object)

misgave, misgiven, misgiving

  1. to be apprehensive.

misgive British  
/ mɪsˈɡɪv /

verb

  1. to make or be apprehensive or suspicious

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of misgive

First recorded in 1505–15; mis- 1 + give

Vocabulary lists containing misgive

"The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet," Vocabulary from Act 1

Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

I did tell Berry he'd better stay an' du what Marse Sykes wanted him ter, 'stead of comin' tu der meetin', an' my mind misgive me all day kase he didn't.

From Bricks Without Straw by Tourgée, Albion Winegar

The look on Bimal's face made my mind misgive me.

From The Home and the World by Tagore, Rabindranath

So that when I heard his heavy footstep advancing along the passage my heart did misgive me, and I felt that I was trembling.

From Relics of General Chasse by Trollope, Anthony

My mind now began to misgive me that the disappointed coach-maker had sent me on a wild-goose errand, and that there was no post-chaise in those parts. 

From The Uncommercial Traveller by Dickens, Charles

It was rather discouraging, wearisome work, and Billy's heart began to misgive him as one after another refused his request.

From The English Orphans by Holmes, Mary Jane

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.