What does misgave mean?
Misgave is the past tense and past participle of misgive, a verb meaning to experience doubt or uneasiness about what one is about to do or about the likely result of a choice. A person who misgaves may suspect that advice is unreliable, that a plan is flawed, or that an outcome is less favourable than hoped. The word has a formal, literary tone and is less common in everyday speech than doubt, mistrust, or have reservations. It nevertheless remains useful because it conveys not simply uncertainty in general, but a specific hesitation prompted by a perceived risk or warning sign. Misgave is especially natural in constructions such as “What misgave him was the possibility of failure,” where the source of the doubt is made explicit. In British and American English, the form is recognized, though contemporary usage is often more literary than conversational.
verb (past tense and past participle of misgive)To have doubts or uneasiness about the wisdom, correctness, or likely outcome of an action, decision, or course of events.
- To have doubts or fears about the wisdom, correctness, or likely outcome of an action, decision, or course of events.
"The possibility that the plan might fail misgave her."
"She misgave the wisdom of leaving so early."
"The scout misgave crossing the river in the dark."
Misgave is to misgive what gave is to give—except here, the uncertainty is the gift.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of misgave
Misgive is formed from the Old English prefix mis-, meaning “wrongly,” and give, from Old English giefan. Its modern meaning is to have doubts or forebodings about something, while its irregular past form misgave reflects the vowel alternation also seen in give and gave. English words such as forgive, gift, and gifted preserve the same Germanic etymological root.
Related word forms
How misgave is actually used
The word is formal and literary, especially when compared with the more everyday doubt, mistrust, and be unsure. It is recognized in both British and American English and may be followed by a clause identifying the source of the doubt, as in “What misgave him was the possibility of failure.”
Easily confused with misgave
Misguided means led or directed incorrectly, whereas misgave means doubted the wisdom, correctness, or outcome of something.