misgive: meaning, definition, pronunciation and examples
C2Literary, Formal, Archaic
Quick answer
What does “misgive” mean?
(of a person's heart, mind, or conscience) to give doubt, apprehension, or foreboding.
Audio
Pronunciation
Definition
Meaning and Definition
(of a person's heart, mind, or conscience) to give doubt, apprehension, or foreboding; to cause to feel uneasy or suspicious.
To suggest or inspire a feeling of doubt, fear, or mistrust about a future outcome or the rightness of an action. It is almost exclusively used in the third person (e.g., 'my heart misgives me').
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
No significant difference in meaning or usage. The word is equally rare and literary in both varieties.
Connotations
Conveys a sense of old-fashioned or poetic foreboding.
Frequency
Extremely low frequency in both. More likely encountered in historical texts, classic literature, or deliberate archaic stylings.
Grammar
How to Use “misgive” in a Sentence
[Heart/Mind] misgives [Indirect Object Pronoun] (about [something])It misgave him that...Vocabulary
Collocations
Examples
Examples of “misgive” in a Sentence
verb
British English
- Her heart misgave her as she signed the mysterious contract.
- If your conscience misgives you, you should not proceed.
American English
- His mind misgave him about the entire venture.
- It misgave her that the instructions were so vague.
adverb
British English
- N/A
American English
- N/A
adjective
British English
- N/A
American English
- N/A
Usage
Meaning in Context
Business
Virtually never used.
Academic
Rare, except in literary analysis of older texts.
Everyday
Not used in contemporary everyday speech.
Technical
Not applicable.
Watch out
Common Mistakes When Using “misgive”
- Using it as a regular transitive verb (e.g., 'I misgive the plan').
- Using it in the first person present (e.g., 'I misgive').
- Confusing it with the much more common noun 'misgiving'.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
No, it is very rare and considered literary or archaic. The noun 'misgiving' is far more common.
No, this is highly unusual. The verb is defective and typically used in the third person (e.g., 'my heart misgives me', 'it misgave him').
'Doubt' is a general verb meaning to be uncertain. 'Misgive' is more specific: it means for one's heart or mind to *produce* a feeling of doubt or fear, often suddenly and intuitively.
It is a verb, but its conjugation is limited. The main forms you will see are 'misgives' (present, 3rd person), 'misgave' (past), and 'misgiven' (past participle).
(of a person's heart, mind, or conscience) to give doubt, apprehension, or foreboding.
Misgive is usually literary, formal, archaic in register.
Misgive: in British English it is pronounced /ˌmɪsˈɡɪv/, and in American English it is pronounced /ˌmɪsˈɡɪv/. Tap the audio buttons above to hear it.
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “My heart misgives me.”
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Think: 'MIS' (wrong/bad) + 'GIVE' -> your heart 'gives' you a bad feeling about something.
Conceptual Metaphor
THE HEART/MIND IS A GIVER OF WARNINGS (it can give good feelings or, in this case, bad premonitions).
Practice
Quiz
Which of the following is the CORRECT usage of 'misgive'?