Malcolm Boyd
Did you know?
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
Jen Christensen, CNN Money, 8 May 2026
Not bad for a guy who made his name writing five-minute, gut-punch folk songs about small-town malaise.
—Spin Staff, SPIN, 4 May 2026
According to Johns Hopkins, the rash usually appears one to five days after the first symptoms — which can include itching, tingling, discolored skin, fever, chills, headache, malaise, light sensitivity, fatigue and upset stomach.
—Samantha Agate, Kansas City Star, 29 Apr. 2026
The poll also points to broader economic malaise; 55% of Americans say recent price increases have led to financial hardship, and the same number say their financial situation is deteriorating.
—Morgan Chalfant, semafor.com, 28 Apr. 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 12 May. 2026.
Copy Citation
