What does misgive mean?
Misgive is a formal or literary verb meaning to feel uneasy or doubtful about something, especially an outcome that has not yet happened. It is often used intransitively—“I misgive the outcome”—or with oneself: “She began to misgive herself.” In older and more elaborate English, misgive oneself for something expresses regret or self-reproach: “I misgave myself for trusting the warning.” The word is not simply a synonym for fear; it conveys an inward, often uneasy judgment that a plan, risk, or expectation may go badly. Its literary tone makes it more noticeable in formal prose than in everyday conversation, although it is understood in both British and American English. The related noun misgiving denotes a doubt or apprehension, and the plural misgivings is common in expressions such as “I have misgivings about the arrangement.” The verb’s past tense is misgave and its past participle is misgiven. Its unusual combination of a prefix meaning wrong with a plain verb gives it a memorable history: the word once suggested giving something badly, before settling into its familiar sense of doubting or mistrusting. Thus misgive remains a useful literary choice when the speaker wants to express restrained anxiety rather than outright alarm.
verbTo feel uneasy or doubtful about something, especially a future outcome or the success of a course of action.
- To have doubts or a feeling of uneasiness about a future outcome, prospect, or course of action.
"She began to misgive the agreement before the final round of negotiations."
"As the negotiations continued, he began to misgive the chances of reaching an agreement."
"I misgave myself for not taking the earlier train."
Misgive once suggested giving something badly; today it quietly expresses the uneasy sense that something may go wrong.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of misgive
Misgive is an English formation dating from the early 17th century, combining the prefix mis- with give. The prefix initially indicated giving or communicating something wrongly or misleadingly, and the word later developed toward its modern sense of doubting or mistrusting. The same root appears in give, gift, and forgive, while misgiving is the closely related noun.
Related word forms
How misgive is actually used
Formal and literary in tone; it is more common in British English than in American English, though it is understood in both. It often implies restrained apprehension rather than outright fear.
Easily confused with misgive
Misgive means to feel doubt or unease about something, whereas misguide means to direct someone or something wrongly.