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Definition of malaise
1 : an indefinite feeling of debility or lack of health often indicative of or accompanying the onset of an illness An infected person will feel a general malaise.
2 : a vague sense of mental or moral ill-being a malaise of cynicism and despair — Malcolm Boyd
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malaise was our Word of the Day on 06/03/2008. Hear the podcast!
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Examples of malaise in a Sentence
The symptoms include headache, malaise, and fatigue.
An infected person will feel a general malaise.
The country's current economic problems are symptoms of a deeper malaise.
Recent Examples of malaise from the Web
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Equal parts muscles and malaise, Maguire's Peter Parker perfectly embodied the overwhelmed teen.
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J.D. Vance, the 32-year-old venture capitalist whose best-selling memoir Hillbilly Elegy chronicled the economic malaise in the Midwest, in February moved home to Ohio.
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Historians who talk solely about the Republican, or Trumpian, sources of the malaise are doing what, alas, has been hardly unknown in our profession: selectively selecting the other side's excesses, and ignoring their own side's transgressions.
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Other sets and workshops at BET Experience and the BET Awards wil probably address more of the American malaise right now.
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Cueto’s velocity is down across the board, and he hasn’t shown any signs recently of breaking out of his malaise.
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The series needs huge sweeping differences—with a grueling yearly release schedule, Assassin’s Creed has suffered from consumer and critical malaise more than perhaps any Ubisoft property.
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After 16 years of stock-price malaise, will the company get energized again?
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At least one, Henri the Existential Cat, clearly expresses his general malaise in film-noir style, and in French.
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'malaise'. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Did You Know?
Malaise, which ultimately traces back to Old French, has been part of English since the mid-18th century. One of its most notable uses, however, came in 1979 - well, sort of. President Jimmy Carter never actually used the word in his July 15 televised address, but it became known as the malaise speech all the same. In the speech, Carter described the U.S. as a nation facing a crisis of confidence and rife with paralysis and stagnation and drift. He spoke of a national malaise a few days later, and it's not hard to see why the malaise name stuck. The speech was praised by some and criticized by many others, but whatever your politics, it remains a vivid illustration of the meaning of malaise.
Origin and Etymology of malaise
French malaise, from Old French, from mal- + aise comfort — more at ease
Other Psychology Terms
MALAISE Defined for English Language Learners
malaise
playDefinition of malaise for English Language Learners
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medical : a slight or general feeling of not being healthy or happy
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: a problem or condition that harms or weakens a group, society, etc.
Medical Dictionary
Learn More about malaise
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See words that rhyme with malaise Spanish Central: Translation of malaise Nglish: Translation of malaise for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of malaise for Arabic speakers
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