Malcolm Boyd
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A recipe: combine a handful of the blahs, a pinch of the blues, and maybe a soupçon of ennui, season generously with “under the weather,” and voila, you’ve got yourself the stew of sinking sensations known as malaise. Malaise, whose Old French ancestor was formed from the combination of mal (“bad”) and aise (“comfort”), has been a part of English since the mid-18th century. It originally referred to a vague feeling of weakness or discomfort accompanying the onset of an illness—a meaning still in use today when a virus or other malady starts producing symptoms—but has since broadened to cover a general, ominous sense of mental or moral ill-being.
Examples of malaise in a Sentence
Chandler Rome, New York Times, 20 June 2026
The Braves continue to be in a season-worst malaise, losing 7-5 to the Giants on Wednesday at Truist Park, their second loss of the day, third in a row and sixth in the last seven games.
—Chad Bishop, AJC.com, 18 June 2026
Insomnia, a general malaise that arrived a little earlier each winter, blood pressure creeping upward, gluey cognition, chi clogged as ketchup.
—Literary Hub, 17 June 2026
This first patient had fever, headaches, muscle pain, malaise, loss of appetite, diarrhea and abdominal pain, among other symptoms.
—Karen Garcia, Los Angeles Times, 16 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for malaise
Cite this Entry
“Malaise.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/malaise. Accessed 25 Jun. 2026.
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