A misgiving is a feeling of doubt or worry that something might go wrong or turn out badly. When you have misgivings about a plan, part of you feels uncertain or uneasy, even if you can't quite explain why.

Imagine your friend suggests exploring a cave you've never seen before. You might feel excited but also have misgivings: something about the darkness or the unknown passages makes you hesitate. That worried feeling is a misgiving. Or maybe your class votes to perform a complicated play, but you have misgivings about whether everyone will learn their lines in time. You're not saying it will definitely fail, but you're experiencing doubt.

The word almost always appears in plural: misgivings. People rarely have just one isolated doubt. Usually several related worries cluster together. A teacher might have misgivings about a field trip if the weather looks threatening and the chaperones seem unprepared.

Misgivings aren't the same as fear or panic. They're quieter, more subtle, like your instincts tapping you on the shoulder and whispering, “Are you sure about this?” Sometimes misgivings turn out to be wise warnings worth listening to. Other times they're just nervous jitters that fade once you get started.