Definition of MALAISE

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.

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 on the Web

This willingness to experiment without feeling beholden to fan expectations about what games should be sold or shared makes Itchio feel like a garden of digital possibility, one unburdened by corporate overlords or the growing malaise of loot boxes. — Patricia Hernandez, The Verge, "The game store that outshines Steam by staying small and weird," 29 Nov. 2018 Conservative under Reagan had become a potent force, a liberating optimistic and patriotic alternative to the malaise and pessimism of the 1970s. — Fox News, "Laura Ingraham announces new segment 'Defending the First'," 10 Apr. 2018 Salah is considered a national hero in Egypt, where many see him as a rare success story at a time of economic malaise and political repression. — Hamza Hendawi And Samy Magdy, Fox News, "Salah takes on Egyptian federation over World Cup debacle," 30 Aug. 2018 In the coming decades, as the regime transitioned from Khrushchev to Brezhnev, a rough period of stagnation turned into an epidemic of malaise, with plummeting production and productivity rates. — Niree Noel, Allure, "The Evolution of Armenia’s Beauty Industry, According to Women Who Witnessed It," 27 July 2018 Possibly more concerning is the notion that their offensive malaise might not be their biggest concern. — Andrew Beaton, WSJ, "The NFL Soap Opera Is Ready for Its Twist Ending," 19 Dec. 2018 Or that the Japanese okonomiyaki—a cabbage omelet that can cure a hangover and most variations of malaise—has become ubiquitous. — Tamar Adler, Vogue, "Why Pastured Eggs Are the Perfect Food," 13 Sep. 2018 Is the 40-year-old at risk of sliding into the same malaise as Hollande, the socialist who served a single term before stepping aside amid brutal opinion polls? — NBC News, "Emmanuel Macron's first year: Could France's golden president lose his luster?," 6 May 2018 In Phoenix, another prominent victim of the housing bust, a similar malaise has recently overtaken the market. — Laura Kusisto, WSJ, "Las Vegas Housing Weakness Signals the Slowdown Is Spreading," 13 Dec. 2018

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.